Standing firm

 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

^“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:10-13)

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

(New International Version of the Bible, bold highlights mine.)

These are sobering verses. As I read through the verses in Matthew 24 in my private devotional time recently, the word “most” jumped out at me. It’s strange how you can be familiar with a certain passage and yet find new and challenging aspects upon rereading it. God’s word is forever unfolding to the reader.

“Most will grow cold.” Not a few, not even many, as some versions state, but according to the NIV, most will stop loving God. I wonder how many of the “good Christians” that I know will fall away if challenged. And I wonder, if my world became chaotic and ruled by those who hated Christ, if my family was threatened or my life, would I have the strength to remain true to God?

A few years ago I experienced what I believe to have been a prophetic dream. In the dream it was night, and I was with a large group of people outside somewhere, in a car park, and we were singing praises to God. The dream continued for a long time with us singing praises, but as the night wore on, many people went away. In the end there was only a small group of us still singing praises. God often reveals Himself in my mind through a single word, and the word that formed in my mind as I dreamed was “remnant”. In the dream the few people who were left had been singing all the night until the new day dawned. I awoke thinking to myself “Lord, may I be one of the remnant.”

We live in a rapidly changing world, one experiencing wars, natural disasters, famine, poverty and diseases. There are economic and environmental problems. In the western world our hedonistic culture promotes selfishness and greed and results in the breakdown of marriages and families and the rise of addictions and crime. The religious systems are rocked by scandal and false doctrine and church hurt, resulting in cynicism and falling away.

Yet Christ has said He will build His church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18). He is still very much involved in building His church, for it’s the only hope for this world. Christ’s power within us is often underestimated, for His love has the power to dispel the darkness and draw a world hungering for truth and love to Himself. There is no force on earth like the church in action. I am talking about the body of Christ on earth, the people devoted to God, not a denomination or system.

Praise God for the church that will rise up and declare He is Lord. Praise God for the Christians that will get on their knees in prayer to intercede for their unsaved neighbours. Praise God for those who will seek His will and ways by studying His word. Praise God for those who are committed to building Christian communities of servanthood, honesty, love and peace. And praise God for the ones who not only know His loving touch in their lives but have a burden to demonstrate His love to others.

I want to be a woman who will not grow cold in love for God or other people. I want to be someone who will stand firm and not fall away. And I want God to say to me, “I know you.”