A Matter of Life and Death
by David Cross
I unexpectedly came across a bit of secular graffiti just recently. It said, “Find something you would die for and live for it.”
I felt the Lord strongly challenging me and asking me if that is how I am willing to see my walk with Him. The experience reminded me that our spiritual journey on this earth is truly a matter of life and death. The paradox of giving up our life, in order to save it, sounds bizarre but it is a concept that clearly lies at the heart of the gospel message.
This very day, there will be Christians around the world who will know physical death because they have been unwilling to save their lives by renouncing faith in Jesus Christ. As a result of their stand, we believe that they will enter into a glorious eternal life.
Cultural hostility towards followers of Jesus and towards the teaching of the Bible are growing dramatically in many countries. Without being fearful, I need to consider carefully my response to that hostility in the very likely event of it increasingly affecting me personally. This will, of course, not necessarily mean my being threatened with death for my faith, but it may perhaps mean my facing a more serious isolation within the society in which I live.
The truth of the Bible is that it is those who remain ignorant of, or opposed to, Jesus Christ that stand in peril of loosing their lives in eternal separation from their Maker. I need God’s gift of courage to continue not only remaining steadfast in my personal faith but also to be proactive in being an instrument of His salvation for those walking blindly into spiritual death.
Prayer: Father God, You have made clear the seriousness of the choices we make in this life, for or against You, and You want that none would be lost. Thank you that You will provide all that is needed for us to openly stand firm as disciples of Jesus. Amen.
David Cross David is part of the Executive Leadership of Ellel Ministries, with particular responsibility for the Ellel centres in Western Europe. He is married to Denise and they have three grown up children and eight grandchildren. David has been a civil engineer and ski-touring instructor in the Highlands of Scotland. He is passionate about the teaching and practice of the healing and deliverance ministry of Jesus and has written several books: Soul Ties, Trapped by Control, God’s Covering, The Dangers of Alternative Ways to Healing(co-authored with John Berry), an A to Z Guide to the Healing Ministry, What`s Wrong with Human Rights? and, most recently, God`s Way out of Depression. You can follow a daily thought from David on Twitter: @dmcross62
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