Day 30 — How Much Suffering Are You Willing to Endure ~ Julie
Galatians 6:15-18
15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.
17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.
Julie’s Nugget
How many of us can say that we bear on our body the marks of Jesus? How many of us have physical scars from having been beaten or whipped because we obeyed Jesus? Paul had been whipped, beaten, stoned, ship-wrecked, thrown in jail, attacked and ridiculed because he was willing to say “yes” to God’s promptings. He was willing to open his mouth and let God fill it. He was willing to believe God for miracles and pray for healing for people. He was willing to speak the truth in love.
How about you? How much suffering are you willing to endure to obey God’s promptings? Here in America you won’t get whipped or beaten for expressing the love of Christ, but you may risk looking foolish. You may risk having a reputation as a radical. You may risk offending friends and family even though you share the Father’s heart in tender love.
Are you willing to risk everything for the sake of obeying God’s promptings?
Your level of love determines the answer to that question.
If you love God more than you love your reputation and your physical comfort, you’ll say yes to His promptings no matter the cost. In John 14:21 Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” This means you’ll obey everything God asks you to do on a daily basis because you love Him.
How to Become Willing to Suffer
If you aren’t at the place where you are willing to suffer for the sake of obedience, then make it your focus to fall more in love with God. First John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” As love grows, fear fades!
To Grow Your Love:
- Talk with Jesus all day long
- Listen for His words of love to your heart
- Read the Bible regularly, and read it as a love letter, not a list of commands
- Know that in Christ you are completely forgiven and free from condemnation
- Live in an attitude of gratitude and praise
If you want to study more about saying yes to God’s promptings and falling in love with Jesus, grab my book No More No from our website or Amazon.
God bless you as you love Him with your “yes”!
Julie Earl
(All scripture taken from the New International Version. Bold lettering mine.)