“I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44).

Don’t worry. Be happy.

That’s the mantra of our generation. Unfortunately, this philosophy has infiltrated the minds of disciples. The way most modern day disciples live, one would think that the ultimate goal of Christian discipleship is to discover and live into one’s happiness.

But there’s not a single passage in all of scripture that says, “Be happy.” There’s nothing in all of scripture to suggest that happiness is the goal of Christian discipleship.

But there are lots of references to calling disciples to be holy. You can find that in both the Old Testament and the New. You can find it in the gospels and in the epistles. It’s all over scripture.

Be holy because God is holy.

This doesn’t mean that God isn’t interested in his followers being happy. God delights in delighting his children. What parent doesn’t? But happiness is the byproduct of being holy. Happiness is what disciples experience when they pursue the life Christ calls to live. It’s in obedience and holiness that disciples experience happiness. Happiness is a byproduct of disciple’s holiness.

Pursue holiness and you get happiness. Pursue happiness and you lose your way and will never experience it.

Leonard Ravenhill, a reformed theologian, writes: “The tragedy today is that the church is pursuing happiness not holiness.”

I think Mr Ravenhill is onto something.

Be holy and you will be happy.

That’s the way it works.

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).

Mrs. Bertha Adams was seventy-one years old when she died alone in West Palm Beach, Florida on Easter Sunday 1976. The coroner’s report read, “Cause of death…malnutrition.” After wasting away to fifty pounds she could no longer stay alive. 

When the state authorities made their preliminary investigation of her home, they found a veritable “pigpen…the biggest mess you can imagine.” One seasoned inspector declared he had never seen a dwelling in greater disarray. 

Bertha had begged food at her neighbors’ doors and had gotten what clothes she had from the Salvation Army. From all appearances she was a penniless recluse – a pitiful and forgotten widow.

But such was not the case! 

Amid the jumble of her filthy, disheveled belongings were found two keys to safe-deposit boxes at two different local banks. The discovery was unbelievable. The first box contained over 700 AT&T stock certificates, plus hundreds of other valuable notes, bonds, and solid financial securities, not to mention cash amounting to $200,000. The second box had no certificates, just cash – $600,000 to be exact. And, this is in 1976!!!

Bertha Williams was a multi-millionaire! Yet she died of starvation!

How does something like that happen?

Yet it does all the time. Disciples have been given God’s word to feast on, God’s Holy Spirit to guide and direct, and the privilege to pray. God has given to disciples everything we need to thrive in God’s kingdom. But too many are starving, dying. And this is totally unnecessary. It is tragic.

Thank you for taking the time to read these verses of the day. Thank you for taking the time to pray.

Keep at it!

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me” (Matthew 24:9).

We read texts like this as a metaphor, a parable. We have a hard time reading this text literally.

The reality is that for all of Christian history, this verse has been literal for many. Not only in times gone by, but for many today.

The following is taken from https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/classic/160/.

Stay Loyal

In 2007, a group of twenty-three South Korean missionaries were captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. They were terrified. The Taliban separated the group, isolated them and confiscated their possessions. 

One of the Korean women managed to hold on to her Bible. She ripped it into twenty-three pieces and secretly gave each of them a portion so that wherever they were, each person could read a part of Scripture when no one was watching.

The group knew that the Taliban had decided to kill them, one at a time. One by one the missionaries surrendered their lives again to Jesus saying, “Lord, if you want me to die for your sake I’ll do it.”

Then the pastor said, “I’ve talked to the Taliban because they are going to start killing us and I’ve told their leaders that if anyone dies, I die first because I am your pastor.”

Another said, “No, because I also am a pastor and I am your elder, I die first.”

Then the pastor came back and said, “You are not ordained, I have been ordained, I die first.”

And sure enough, he died first. Two more were killed before the rest were eventually rescued. 

They had demonstrated extraordinary loyalty to God and to each other.

The South Korean missionaries were following in the footsteps of the apostles who showed extraordinary loyalty.

Loyalty is a combination of love and faithfulness. It is a quality often lacking in our society today. Disloyalty destroys families, churches, businesses, political parties and even nations.

Bibleinoneyear.org