TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. (1 Peter 4:16 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• I’ve had a lifelong fascination with Tiffany & Co. ever since 1) walking into the NYC store when I was a teenager and 2) discovering Audrey Hepburn. I love looking at the pretty things, but I’ve never actually owned anything from them. As much as I enjoy online browsing at Tiffany & Co., I am completely in awe that people actually pay some of those prices. Even if my budget was a Tiffany-friendly budget, I just couldn’t… I took a five-minute browsing break yesterday to look at their desk accessories and a Tiffany & Co. Catchall tray is $250. $250 for a 5×5 leather box to hold paperclips. Nope.
It all boils down to the label. It’s the label that carries prestige and value. Most of us would admit to following a certain label/brand… whether we purchase that brand or not, we admire the image associated with the label and we either become a loyal user or we cyberstalk them from a distance, as I’ve just admitted doing.
Christianity is a label too and people make a whole lot of assumptions about it. Some embrace it wholeheartedly. Others don’t discuss it for fear of offending someone. And there are those who make the worst kind of stereotypes and assumptions about people who wear the Christian label.
In 1 Peter 4:16, it says, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” It’s not always easy to be a Christian, but if we’ve given our hearts to Jesus, it’s a label we should wear with joy and gladness. We should never shy away from it or make any attempt to hide the Christianity that should be the defining characteristic of our lives!
Peter certainly didn’t. Even after denying Christ three times before the crucifixion, Peter never again denied his allegiance to Jesus. He wasn’t ashamed to preach the good news. In Acts 4:13, after Peter and John were arrested for preaching the salvation of Jesus, the Bible describes their accusers’ response, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
They were astonished by the boldness. My questions today are these—would your boldness for Christ be considered astonishing? Are you willing to step out of what’s comfortable and stand up for your faith? Is the Christian label one you’re proud to wear without shame?
Your label should be clear. If we walk around displaying labels that range the full spectrum… from the lifestyle labels of Harley Davidson, Nike, and even Tiffany & Co.—certainly we should eagerly wear the label “Follower of Christ” without hesitation. The hefty price tag has already been paid by the Savior and all He asks is for us to have faith in Him.
It’s a label worthy of our total devotion and a label we should eagerly share with others.
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for the opportunity to be labeled as a Christian. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with joy to be called a Christian. Ask Him to help you wear your Christian label without worry or shame. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you live according to God’s will and in a way that honors the high price that Jesus paid for you to wear the Christian label.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Download a free Bible-In-A-Year Reading Plan when you subscribe! Join an online prayer group at www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandonourkneesprayergroup. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
