Proclaim Him from the Housetops
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Matthew 10:26-39
26. "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27. What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. 28. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. 30. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32. So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; 33. but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. 34. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36. and a man's foes will be those of his own household. 37. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38. and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
I have always found it fascinating that Christ declares his intention, not to wash away the sin all sinners, not to forgive everyone who has transgressed, not to wipe out dissention between believers and their families; but to wash clean those who seek salvation; to forgive those who ask for redemption, to stand firm in the cause of Christ, against a lost and sinful world. Jesus knew better than any of us can even imagine, how powerful is the force of evil in our lives. Satan battles every day—every minute—for ownership of our souls.
Jesus warns us not to be easily persuaded against what he preaches. He understood that it would not be easy all the time. He knew that we might have to turn our backs on our best friend, or even members of our families. Eternal life in heaven with God is worth any price—even losing our place in this world in favor of the next. The battle is as old as time – since Lucifer fell from grace. And it will wage on until Christ comes again. And Jesus doesn’t want us to be caught off guard. He doesn’t want the evil one to have an unfair advantage in this battle!
Of course, he does. Because we are human beings, and thus flawed. The same knowledge Christ has of us – of our inner thoughts, fears, weaknesses – so does Satan; because he was once a part of the heavenly realm and so a part of that cosmic knowledge. That does give him an unfair advantage! So we must be ever on our guard. We must ever clothe ourselves in the full armor of God. We must ever be ready to take a stand, to choose what is right over what is easy. We must be ever watchful lest we be led astray by those whom we love and care about.
The battle is for our souls! And Jesus doesn’t want us to lose that battle! Too much is at stake to blindly go about our lives with no awareness of all the ways Satan can district and deter us. The world offers too many opportunities to be lead astray for us to let down our guard for even a moment. So how do we wage this war? How are we sustained through it? How do we win?
We don’t win! But Christ does – always. We wage the war armed with the power of his death and resurrection. We endure through going to scripture and relying upon God’s inspired words in the bible. We seek out the truth of Jesus Christ and ask him to arm us against the evil one. And we need the love and power of Jesus Christ to stay in the grace of God! Satan uses his past unity with God to have power over our hearts and minds.
God knows us from the inside out. He would never let us go down without a fight. He’ll defend us to the end—he already has! He sent his son! The battle was won in advance. We are now responsible for keeping the watch. I thank my God that he has already provided for my final victory! I long to rejoice with Him in heaven! I am ever in his debt for revealing his truth to me and for sending his precious son – himself/God/man – to redeem me and set the line of defense firmly in place.
I hope today you are able to stand strong against the forces of sin and evil in this world. And that you proclaim from the housetops how great is your Savior and Redeemer, sent by God/part of God/man incarnate.
Mary
