Do You Stand for Something?

“ Those who stand for nothing fall for anything .” – Alex Hamilton, journalist

This quote has been increasingly used by media and marketing pundits encouraging businesses to take a position on some social topic. For every customer gained by taking a stance on a controversial topic however, another customer can be lost. Being opinionated has its ups and downs.

What about us? As young people called to become part of the Body of Christ, we are to take a stand for the true calling, instruction and truth of God. A calling that will make us stand out and bring attention to the way live; the annual Holy Days we observe, the 7th day Sabbath we keep, the law of God we obey, and the care we have for our fellow brethren.

What if we stand by God’s truth and we are punished for it? What if we are put to torture and told to publically deny Christ as our savior and God as our Father? That might seem far-fetched, but we live in a world increasingly devoid of respect for the true God. When nations become fearful or uncertain about the future, they often look to blame or punish the people who hold to a standard of right behavior. Recently the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) made the news with their dramatic gains in overtaking huge sections of the Middle East and even more so for their public beheadings of western captives. Some have postulated that they would lie to such captors rather than be beheaded.

Is it okay to lie in order to save your life or the life of someone else? Is this acceptable to God?

No! First of all, it breaks the ninth Commandment against lying, since even under duress, it is sinful to bear false witness. What if we publicly had to deny Christ even though we knew in our hearts that what we said was untrue? Is that an acceptable escape plan? No, again.Matthew:10:33 is very clear that if we deny Christ before men, we will be denied by Him before the Father! Once we deny Christ (even if we think we don’t mean it), it becomes easier to deny Him a second time, then a third and more. Consider Peter’s example of repeatedly denying Christ on the morning of His crucifixion. Where would we be if Christ had sought to save his physical life, lying to the Jewish and Roman rulers rather than be killed and become the means of salvation for all mankind?

God certainly knows the thoughts of our heart, but He also needs to see what we will actually do. God worked with Abraham for decades, but it wasn’t until He saw Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac ( some forty years after the promise ) that He said “… now Iknow that you fear God ” (Genesis:22:12, NKJV, emphasis added).

God saw the faithfulness of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah but He didn’t deliver them from King Nebuchadnezzar until they were thrown into the red-hot furnace. Esther and the Israelite people of the tribe of Judah were not delivered until eleven months after the decree was given that the Jews could be killed and their property taken. Actions speak louder than words, but words and action speak loudest of all.

God’s Word is full of instruction for us to be strong in Him – “ Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong ,” (1 Corinthians:16:13, NKJV). The primary stand for us is to be faithful in word and deed to God’s instruction – no matter what kind of hardship, trial, difficulty or persecution we may face. The time to prepare to be strong is now, before we find ourselves being tested.