February 23 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Matthew 10:32-42:

³²Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
³³But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
³⁴Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
³⁵For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
³⁶And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
³⁷He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
³⁸And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
³⁹He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
⁴⁰He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
⁴¹He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
⁴²And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

Devotional

Believing and confessing go together. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Wherever there is true faith in Christ, there must be confession of Christ.

To confess means, "to say the same things," to agree with. To confess Christ means to be in full accord with him, to agree with him and to proclaim and to make known the truth concerning him in word and deed. Confessing Christ implies denying one's self. "If any man will come after me let him deny himself." We must say No to self, to our own inclinations, desires, and will, and acknowledge that Christ's will alone is good.

We must confess him "before men." Paul testifies of Timothy, that he, "professed a good profession before many witnesses," and calls his attention to that fact that Jesus Christ witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate. The world is hostile to the truth of God. To confess Christ means to bear reproach, to suffer shame for his name, yea, even to suffer persecution. Christ says, "If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." But he also says, "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." That makes up for all the suffering we may have to endure for his name's sake.

Prayer

O Lord, help us that we may never be ashamed of Jesus, much less deny him because of fear of men. May we never be silent when we ought to speak, but also may we not speak when we ought to keep silent. Grant us wisdom from on high to do Thy will. Grant that Thy name through us may never be blasphemed, but honored and glorified. Grant us boldness always to bear faithful witness to the truth, even if it means to suffer shame for Thy name, or to be persecuted for the truth's sake. Make us faithful unto death for Jesus' sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Rom. 10:10; Matt. 16:24; 1 Tim. 6:12, 13; Acts 5:41; John 15:20; Rev. 3:5.

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