Faithful to Jesus

Revelation 7:12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."

Oh Lord, You who have stood by my side and have made your light shine in my heart, I pledge my loyalty to you. You were loyal unto death, dying in my place on the cross to cleanse me from my sin. Grant me your strength inside me that I may remain your servant and remain faithful to your Name, even when opposition comes.

Fellow Christian, fellow brother or sister in Christ, our Lord Jesus is our shepherd, our master, our king. When we pledged our heart to him, we purposed to follow him. Let us remain faithful to him--to his cause, his testimony, his authority. May we not sway in our allegience to him and become a friend to his enemies. Remember that He loved us and gave himself for us to present us to God unstained and unblemished. He says to us:

Revelation 3:8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

In this world, we stand to encounter much opposition to our blessed Lord. Psalm 2 says that the kings of the earth take their stand against Christ:

Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. 3 "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."

In our own country, there is an intense battle to remove all vestiges of Christianity from our social, cultural and public realms birthed out of a hostility toward the faith. Let us continue to be strong and work for the honor and glory of Christ and the good of all people. Let us not shrink back from acknowledging Christ as the Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Let us follow the lead of the beloved Polycarp centuries ago, burnt at the stake for not reviling Christ: But when the magistrate persisted and said, "Swear the oath [swear by the Genius of Caesar], and I will release you; revile Christ," Polycarp replied, "For eighty-six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King, who saved me?"