BE PREPARED
Sirach 2:1-6 (not in Protestant Bible)
My son, if you draw near to serve the Lord,
Prepare your soul for temptation.
Set your heart right and be steadfast,
And do not strive anxiously in distress.
Cleave to Him and do not fall away,
That you may be honored at the end of your life.
Accept whatever is brought upon you,
And in exchange for your humiliation, be patient;
Because gold is tested in fire
And acceptable men in the furnace of abasement.
Believe in Him, and He will help you;
Make your ways straight and hope in Him.
Personal Challenge
As I often teach the teenagers that I work with at church, being a follower of Christ, a Christian, is a verb, not a noun. We do not just slap this label on ourselves and claim our work is done. We are to be constantly following in the footsteps of Christ. We are getting our hands soiled and sometimes even our hearts broken. We go into the world representing our Lord knowing that we will be rejected by others and tempted by our enemy. We keep our hope in Him knowing that He will make our paths straight. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
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