DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- ASHAMED

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – ASHAMED

" 'For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.' "  (Mark 8:38)

We live in an adulterous and sinful generation.  The culture pressures us to be ashamed of Jesus.  The word, "ashamed," carries with it the thought of disgrace, dishonor, or disfigure.  When we give into that pressure, we dishonor our Lord Jesus.  We bring disgrace to Him.  We mar or otherwise disfigure the Gospel.

Why should we be ashamed of Jesus and His Word?  Probably for some, the Gospel seems to be irrational, against logic.  At least, that is what the culture wants us to think, and we don't want to appear ignorant.    It is for the uneducated, the naive, the lower-class people.  It is looked down on as being out of touch with reality.  It is for the weak mentally and emotionally.  It is a crutch for those who can't face life.  To quote a famous politician, it is for the deplorables.

Shame often causes me to distance myself from what I am ashamed of.  I remember when my children were young, they were not always proud of me.  Sometimes when shopping in the mall, I would act silly, and they would walk away, putting distance between us.  They did not want to be associated with me. I can understand that.  But how sad it is when I distance myself from being associated with Christ, His Gospel and His Church because I am ashamed.

It is a sobering thought that when Jesus comes, He might be ashamed of me.  What He thinks of me is more important that what the world around me thinks.  I want Him to be proud of me and claim me as His sheep.  

Here is the truth.  The Lord Jesus gave up heaven to come to this earth to die for my sins.  It is a faithful saying, Christ died for my sins. To be ashamed of Him is to bring dishonor to Him – the One who loved me enough to die for me. How can I be ashamed of Him when He has done such a wonderful thing for me?  "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16),

Love, Dad