Jul 24

Matthew 10:16-33
Memorise Matthew 10:32
“…Confessing Christ means living a life that is worthy of His name…”

Jesus had just named His twelve disciples and was instructing them on how they should go about their ministry. He especially warned them that the road before them would not be an easy one. He told them that He was sending them forth “as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16) and that they would be “hated of all men for [His] name’s sake” (Matthew 10:22). The people who opposed them may even be of “[their] own household” (Matthew 10:35-36) but Christ clearly stated that if they loved their family more than Him, they were not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37-38). If they denied Him before men, He too would deny them before God the Father in Heaven. However, if they remained true to Him, all the blessings were theirs. If they confessed Christ before men, He too would confess them before the Heavenly Father. He promised them that the Holy Spirit would instruct them on what to say when they were “brought before governors and kings for [His] sake” (Matthew 10:17-20). He urged them not to fear men who could only kill the body but not the soul, but instead to commit themselves to God who loves and cares for them so much that “the very hairs of [their] head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:28-31).

Dear Teen, are you afraid of confessing Christ? It is not enough to just say that you are a Christian but then talk and act exactly as your nonbelieving friends do. Confessing Christ means living a life that is worthy of His name – A life that demonstrates that Christ is your Lord and Master, and is governed by actions and speech which seek to please Him. We must live a life that is noticeably different from the carnal lifestyles and activities of the world. Do you dare to be a Daniel in sinful Babylon? This requires standing apart from the world and its distorted sense of morality where sins like rebellion against authority and homosexuality are applauded and viewed as “cool”, while God-pleasing attitudes like abstinence from sex before marriage and filial piety are scorned as prudish behavior. Oftentimes, it is peer pressure which makes us follow the majority and deny Christ. Jesus never said that confessing Him would be easy. He experienced the full hatred of the world. But He promises to be with us and assures us that the reward of Him confessing us before His Father will be more than worth all our suffering.

Thought: Does your life confess Christ?
Prayer: Give me the faith and courage to confess Thee, Lord.