Why are you ashamed?

Throughout life I’m sure everyone has a thing or a person they become ashamed of at some point. For instance, in middle school a boy might be ashamed because he likes the girl that all his friends call ugly. Or both genders at some point are ashamed of the effect puberty is having on them. What ever the case is, we’ve all had a moment of shame. In Christianity we see it all the time, where we are ashamed to let the world know that we are believers. Some might say “because, people get offended if they don’t believe” or “I don’t want to force my religion on them” or they might just feel like its not cool among the people they hang out with, so they hide it around those people. The issue with that is, the Bible clearly states a few things about being ashamed of Christ.

1. A reason not to be ashamed. Joel 2:26-27

You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.

Here’s the interesting thing about Christians. When it comes to receiving and claiming things from God we are all for it and will do what ever it takes to “get our blessing.” But as soon as He wants something from us, we act like we didn’t hear that from Him. The basic stuff is already in the Bible, like the Great Commission. God does not have to call you to be a witness for Him or to pray for someone you KNOW is hurting and doesn’t know God for themselves. This scripture is talking about blessings God is giving to his people, but yet he still has to say TWICE that his people will not be ashamed of him. You mean to tell me that even after the blessing that clearly came from the Lord, you still don’t bear His name on a daily basis? Sometimes we do God so wrong. When you get something from the Lord everyone will know its something special, so when they ask you about it, a way to bear His name would be to say “God did that.” You have to recognize His power in your life. The glory is not for you it’s for Him, ALWAYS. In that scripture it tells you what is going to happen (the people will have plenty to eat) then it says THEN you will KNOW I am your God, which means the reason He’s doing it is to show himself and for Him to get the glory. He cares about you so you got something in the process but His point was to make Himself known. Don’t steal or hide His shine.

2. Persecution is coming, REGARDLESS

Luke 21:17-19

Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

The scripture is plain here. EVERYONE will hate you because you believe in Christ. That may be exaggerated a bit but the truth is a lot of people will be mad when you mention Him. Some people have not come to believe in the God and Jesus we’ve never seen and the holy spirit they’ve never felt. God knows its hard for us to wrap our human brains around him but that’s why this is a faith based religion. The only way you can believe in it is by believing in Him and his son. So if you know you’ve experienced God in your life and you have salvation through his son, its time to be open about it. America loves for you to be open about everything else but as Christians we have to include this and make it the number 1 choice at that. The promise that comes with being bold about Jesus is that you will not perish. He’s going to make sure you get to heaven just for making his name great in the earth. We just have to come to terms with the fact that our life may not be cool or accepted by everybody, but for a God that continues to bless us and open doors for us, it should definitely be worth it.

3.  The consequences of being ashamed. Matthew 10:32-33

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Finally, here’s the worse consequence of being ashamed. This may seem a bit blunt, but its the word of God. Jesus will deny you in front of God on judgement day if you’ve been living your life as if He hasn’t been in it. Now think about it, you’ve believed in God ALL your life, you got saved at the age of 15 and you never miss a Sunday, you do outreach with the church you’re in 5 different ministries, but outside of that your friends don’t know a thing about your Christian life. Let’s stop there, because there shouldn’t be a difference between your daily life and your Christian life. Once you give your life to Christ, it (your life) becomes completely Christian. Yes you’re going to mess up and your ways may not change right away, but there should be enough evidence for people to know you are not the same person you used to be. Stop hiding Jesus. He’s the light of the world, his purpose is to shine. That’s like trying to block the sun. Its too hard! Because it’s supposed to be there, just like Jesus! You don’t want to live this life just going to church but not letting your light shine the rest of the time if its going to mean you’ll miss heaven. That would be the absolute worse. Don’t be ashamed, God is everything and if you know that for yourself, you should share it with someone who hasn’t experienced it yet.