Lent Day 25

The Apostle Paul was one of the early Christian martyrs, along with the rest of the disciples. He feared that his days were running short, but God wasn’t done with him yet. The Lord Jesus appeared to him and commanded him to have courage. The reason Jesus gives is that he would go to Rome to testify about Jesus to the Romans. Paul was strengthened–he received courage–because of Jesus’s promise. He endured to the end, even though his life was on the line, courageously proclaiming the Gospel of Christ because he believed Jesus’s promise. So, too, when we believe the promises of the Lord, we will be courageous to endure any trials or persecution in this world. We belong to him, and he alone controls our life and eternity.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we thank you that you have promised us eternity in the Kingdom of God. Thank you for standing with us through the trials of this life. Give us the courage to stand firm in the face of trials, even if persecution comes, so that we may prove to be your disciples. Amen.