Marching To Zion

Welcome to Prayer Closet Images where we have the images that are to be viewed while thinking on the Word of God. On today, we have the image “Marching to Zion”. In the Image we see a man in different phases of his March to Zion. He shows his attitude about the world as we see that he has taken a turn and is marching straight away to his destination. In the same way we must keep our concentration on our task, which is to arrive at our destination of Glory. In the journey we are to apply the teachings of Jesus at each point of the way. Although we are assured of our final outcome, the journey is rife with twists and turns that sometimes make the outcome seem uncertain. We are to nevertheless keep our attention on the task at hand. When we have applied correctly the things that Jesus commanded us to do, we must also keep in mind that they are at times in direct opposition to the things that the world holds as the correct things to do. We will surely suffer from the world for going against the norms of the world. We are to nevertheless keep on keeping on with the instructions that we have received from the Lord. In the end we will receive what we desire, and that is a crown of Glory in everlasting life.

In Spite Of Persecutions Love God

I love the world but the world does not really love me. To love the Lord with all of my heart and soul and mind and strength means that I make a choice between the Lord God and His creation, including the world. What is written concerning our attitude concerning the world ?

“Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

The key is when people say things falsely against you and for Jesus’s sake. That means the things that are said falsely about you when you do the things that Jesus says to do, and are persecuted for doing those things. We have to realize that there are things that fly in the face of the world that are a result of the teachings of Jesus.

Living according to the Word of God will cause us to be in direct opposition to the world in which we live. By living a Godly life we will definitely suffer persecution. A physical attack and a personal attack of slander against those that love the Lord will be made.

The accusation made against us must be a false accusation. The accusations cannot be true about us, in that case the things that we are persecuted for are warranted and we deserve those persecutions.

In this case we are not truly persecuted by those without. The persecutions are levied on us by ourselves. When we do things that bring persecution by the world then we will have to absorb these things, and there are no blessings coming to us because we warrant punishment for disobeying the will of God.

There Will be Both A Physical and Personal Attack

We are aware that the world will hate us for our greater love of the Lord. We are also aware that we will be physically attacked by the world and in that attack we will definitely feel the attack in our body. The pain will definitely be real. The attack that is made against us must be made for things done for Jesus’s sake. There is no blessing for attacks that are based in reality. Those things that we do that are true sins are valid attacks made by the world. There will be no blessings in the eternal Kingdom of the Lord God in which we go for attacks on us for personal sins.

There will Be A Slanderous Attack

The world will also levy a slanderous attack against the followers of Jesus because the world will be disturbed by the things that we do for the sake of Jesus. We are to allow the world to hate us, and the Lord will reward us for loving Him although the world hates us for doing so. The world has an expiration date, but the Lord will last forever, therefore we will choose to love the Lord at all costs, we will consider the cost that we will have to pay and we will pay the cost gladly.

Conclusion

In a nutshell our attitude about the world should be an attitude of knowing and holding. Knowing that we will be attacked yet holding the way that the Lord God has shown us.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. The correct attitude brings blessings even when the blessings come from attacks on us. When you are persecuted for Jesus’s sake then you will receive blessings. Knowing that the world will slander us for obeying the Lord is to be fore-warned, and to be for-warned is to be for-armed, to go into the attack prepared for the attack. To be prepared makes it easier to fend off the effects of the attack. While under the attack we can rejoice and be very glad that we are attacked and slandered for the Lords sake and that we will receive blessings.

How can these things be true ? I firmly believe that if Scripture says it, then that is the way that it is. The Scripture lets us know these things straight from the mouth of Jesus therefore in my opinion these things that are said must be true.

Blessed are you when men say false things against you for the sake of Jesus. You are blessed only when the attack is because of your obedience to Jesus, your obedience to do the will of the Lord Jesus Christ. To receive an attack for this obedience is to receive an attack willingly.

This is an attack that I will gladly receive because the thing done is the correct thing to do and the chips just have to fall where the chips have to fall. I will gladly accept the punishment for the things that I have to do and that is to follow the Lord Jesus from life to life and this I say publicly and aloud. I will take what I have to take for the sake of eternal life.

When the time comes that I stand before the Lord and am judged concerning the sins that I have committed in this life I will admit to Jesus the things that I have done. Those things that I am accused of that I have not done will not be credited to me and I will pass from this life into eternal life, from life to life.