“In the Old Testament, a person’s relationship with God was
seen by the degree of separation in that person’s life. This separation is
exhibited in the life of Abraham by his separation from his country and his
family. When we think of separation today, we do not mean to be literally
separated from those family members who do not have a personal relationship
with God, but to be separated mentally and morally from their viewpoints. This
is what Jesus Christ was referring to in Luke 14:26. Living a life of faith
means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and
knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of
understanding and reason— a life of knowing Him who calls us to go. […] A life
of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another,
like soaring on eagles’ wings, but is a life of day-in and day-out consistency;
a life of walking without fainting (see Isaiah 40:31). It is not even a
question of the holiness of sanctification, but of something which comes much
farther down the road. It is a faith that has been tried and proved and has
withstood the test.” CHAMBERS
A good friend was speaking to a Haitian man in the mountains
outside of Jacmel about the Gospel. The
man said he wanted to trust in Jesus, but had to wait until the family members
that brought evil into his house (voodou) were no longer living there (it was
not his house). My friend talked to him
about the temple of the Spirit – our bodies – which the evil cannot
pollute. Unbelieving families can have a
great influence on how we live and what we say.
I think it is that we don’t want to be rejected by our family, but the
truth is, in that thinking we are, in fact, rejecting Jesus. We commit the sin of Peter … denying Christ
for acceptance by the world.
You don’t have to run through the house shouting
Hallelujah. But you must resist the temptation
to pretend that there is not difference between you and those who do not share
your faith. Don’t be surprised if you
are rejected … Jesus was rejected (John 1:11).
Understand that those who are doing the rejecting are perishing … Don’t
be pious in that knowledge .. but pray for them. Jesus was like a sheep going to the slaughter
… let you family see Jesus in you .. not the little bit of the world that
remains. ELGIN
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
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