Unafraid and Unashamed
We hear stories of people in other places and times boldly trusting God and proclaiming his name, even to death. That often seems very far away from the reality of our lives. But we, too, must courageously stand for Christ.
We hear stories of people in other places and times boldly trusting God and proclaiming his name, even to death. That often seems very far away from the reality of our lives. But we, too, must courageously stand for Christ.
Every Last Word features the Bible teaching ministry of Dr. Philip Graham Ryken. The mission of this ministry is to broadcast clear Bible teaching that glorifies God and helps people grow by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This weekly program helps Christians apply God's Word to everyday living.
The times we live in are difficult, some might even say tumultuous. If you look around you can find much to be afraid about. . . the economy, current world affairs, wars. We can let our fears get to us, or we can stop, and take a minute to look at what the Bible has to teach us about this world, fear, our future, and the courage we can have as we face all of those things.
Have you ever left a project unfinished? Our lives are filled with projects that we have never quite managed to complete. We have half-read books on our shelves and piles of junk left abandoned from hobbies we’ve started, but never finished. Thankfully Jesus Christ did not leave the great project of his life unfinished. He got the job done, He accomplished the mission.
Have you ever been at a place in your life where you felt forgotten or forsaken, totally alone? It’s a painful place to be, a place where you feel no one understands or feels your pain. But one person does understand, and has felt your pain and has conquered death for you so that you can have eternal life.
It’s hard for us to really embrace the idea that Jesus Christ was as much a man as he was God. But along with the miracles he performed as the Son of God, he also experienced humanity as deeply as we do. . . and one of the best examples we see is when he, while being crucified, was thirsty. Jesus was human after all, and if he was going save us, if he was going to die in our place, then he needed to be one of us to do it.
As Jesus was growing up, his unique identity as the Son of God and his unique ministry as the Savior of the world must have made for some very interesting family situations. Certainly these family ties were strained during the course of his life, and they were broken altogether at the cross.