READING: Jeremiah 18-21, 2 Timothy 1:1-2:13
How much do you think about the truth that many people are opposed to the gospel? I’ve been in full-time ministry for close to 40 years. I’ve preached in worship centers, gymnasiums, open fields, and on street corners—and never have I felt great opposition to what I was doing. I’ve also taught in places where it was risky for believers to gather, but even there I’ve never felt threatened. As far as I know based on my personal experience, preaching God’s Word is not dangerous.
But, then I read texts like Jeremiah 20:1-2 – “Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer and chief official in the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. So Pashhur had the prophet Jeremiah beaten and put him in the stocks at the Upper Benjamin Gate in the Lord’s temple.” We don’t know a lot about Pashur, but it’s clear that he didn’t like Jeremiah’s preaching about coming destruction and doom. Jeremiah had said, “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to bring on this city—and on all its cities—every disaster that I spoke against it, for they have become obstinate, not obeying my words’” (Jer 19:15)—and Pashur responded with venom. He had Jeremiah arrested, beaten, and put in the stocks. Thus, the faithful prophet found himself bent over in pain because he proclaimed God’s message.
I’ve not been in that situation, but I’ve met believers who have been in similar ones. In fact, I’ve taught believers whose bodies literally bore the scars of their obedience. The wounds on their bodies betrayed the wickedness of their opponents, yet these students never stopped preaching the Word. You got the sense that nothing—including the threat of death—could stop them from following Jesus. That’s the kind of faith I want to have.
PRAYER: “Lord, I pray that I’d be faithful even if my faith costs me my freedom.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Review and catch up day