STEPPING ACROSS THE LINE
The story of the brave men at the Alamo in 1836 has always inspired me. One particular story that is told about the events demonstrates the extraordinary bravery of the men who died there for Texas independence.
On March 5, 1836, Col. Travis, knowing that the situation had become hopeless, gathered his men on that Saturday afternoon and said,
"We must die. Our business is not to make a fruitless effort to save our lives, but to choose the manner of our death."
Travis, only 26, saw three possibilities. They could surrender and face execution, or try to fight their way out, or "remain in this fort, resist every assault, and to sell our lives as dearly as possible."
The story goes that then Col. Travis drew his sword and slowly drew a line in the dirt and said, "I now want every man who is determined to stay here and die with me to come across this line."
Immediately, Tapley Holland stepped across the line proclaiming, "I am ready to die for my country!" All but two men followed him. Jim Bowie, lying sick on a cot, asked some of his men to carry him across.
Only Louis Moses Rose, a French soldier of fortune, failed to step across the line. He slipped out at night and managed to make it through enemy lines.
The next day, March 6, Santa Anna's forces breached the walls and every man who had crossed that line died.
Christians are living in times when the line has been drawn in the sand. In a world that has become so churchy and the church has become so worldly that you can't tell the two apart, the line has been drawn in the sand.
Christians, as always, live in this world, but the tragedy is that in our day and time Christians have become more and more like the world.
The call of our age is for Christians to step across the line and be the kind of Christian God desires and the kind of Christian the Bible describes and commands.
The great need of our hour is for Christians who will be a light to dispel darkness rather than a mirror reflecting our culture. In short, we need to be Christians who are card carrying members of the counter culture, and who will not change or compromise, but will live by convictions that are rooted and grounded in God's Word.
Keep these three things in mind this week when you are facing compromise…
1. YOU MUST FIGHT AGAINST THE CHANGE
In Romans 12:2 Paul admonishes every Christian, "And be not conformed to this world."
The word "conform" means "to fashion like" or "to be conformed to the same pattern."
The world in which Christians live seeks to shape and fashion our life into its own image and likeness. Daily, there is the pressure to think like the world, adapt to the world, thus live as the world.
However, the Christian is commanded not to pattern their selves or allow themselves to be patterned after the world or the age in which we live.
2. YOU MUST BE FEARFUL OF COMPROMISE
Dr. R.G. Lee said, "We live in a world of invertebrate theology, jellyfish morality, see-saw religion, India-rubber convictions, somersault philosophy, and a psychology that tells us what we already know in words we don't understand."
Some types of compromise are good. When building relationships and businesses compromise can be a powerful tool, but when it comes to our Christian values & practices there can be no compromise on the part of the Christian. It must be black and white with gray being out of the question.
There were several young Jewish boys carried into Babylon, but only four are called by name; Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It would appear that all the others compromised with the appointments of the king, but not these four.
Vance Havner said, "If you try to be everything to everybody, you will end up being nothing to anybody."
Their eternal place in the Word of God and the testimony they left us would have been forfeited if they had compromised. Therefore, compromise is something that every Christian should fear.
There are blessings that can be sacrificed on the altar of compromise.
3. YOU MUST SEARCH DILEGENLY FOR GODLY CONVICTIONS
How was it that Daniel and his friends stood when it seems that everyone else seem to adopt and adapt to the Chaldean culture? It was because they had convictions. If one does not have convictions, they will easy give way to the pressure of the world to conform.
They would not change because they had convictions. They would not compromise because they had convictions. Daniel 1:8 says, "But Daniel purposed in his heart."
The word "purposed" means "to put, place, set, fix." There were some things that were fixed and settled in his heart.
In a world, even the church world, where it seems that there are no absolutes, it is important that the Christian purpose in his or her heart that when it comes to certain things they will have to “draw the line.”
It has been said that if we do not stand for something we will fall for everything. How true!
Dear Christian, if you have convictions while living in this world, no doubt, this will put you in danger. But your convictions will also work as a preservative that will stand as a testimony of God’s grace down through time.
Oh, I can hear the carnal and worldly church crowd who believes everything is right and nothing is wrong saying, "You are one of those hard-line fundamentalists."
You can brand me anyway you want to, but convictions are necessary. They not only guide us, but they also guard us from change and compromise.
Long ago, William Law warned that the world is now a greater enemy to the Christian than it was in apostolic times: "It is a greater enemy, because it has greater power over Christians by its favors, riches, honors, rewards, and protection than it had by the fire and fury of its persecutors. It is a more dangerous enemy, by having lost its appearance of enmity. Its outward profession of Christianity makes it no longer considered as an enemy, and therefore the people are easily persuaded to resign themselves up to be governed and directed by it."
In a world in which the majority of Christian seem comfortable and conformed to this world, dare to be a Daniel. Draw the line in the sand. It may not be popular, but it will be worth it.
In closing let me say that I’m proud to be a card-carrying member of the counter culture!
Brother Jeff Sizemore
On March 5, 1836, Col. Travis, knowing that the situation had become hopeless, gathered his men on that Saturday afternoon and said,
"We must die. Our business is not to make a fruitless effort to save our lives, but to choose the manner of our death."
Travis, only 26, saw three possibilities. They could surrender and face execution, or try to fight their way out, or "remain in this fort, resist every assault, and to sell our lives as dearly as possible."
The story goes that then Col. Travis drew his sword and slowly drew a line in the dirt and said, "I now want every man who is determined to stay here and die with me to come across this line."
Immediately, Tapley Holland stepped across the line proclaiming, "I am ready to die for my country!" All but two men followed him. Jim Bowie, lying sick on a cot, asked some of his men to carry him across.
Only Louis Moses Rose, a French soldier of fortune, failed to step across the line. He slipped out at night and managed to make it through enemy lines.
The next day, March 6, Santa Anna's forces breached the walls and every man who had crossed that line died.
Christians are living in times when the line has been drawn in the sand. In a world that has become so churchy and the church has become so worldly that you can't tell the two apart, the line has been drawn in the sand.
Christians, as always, live in this world, but the tragedy is that in our day and time Christians have become more and more like the world.
The call of our age is for Christians to step across the line and be the kind of Christian God desires and the kind of Christian the Bible describes and commands.
The great need of our hour is for Christians who will be a light to dispel darkness rather than a mirror reflecting our culture. In short, we need to be Christians who are card carrying members of the counter culture, and who will not change or compromise, but will live by convictions that are rooted and grounded in God's Word.
Keep these three things in mind this week when you are facing compromise…
1. YOU MUST FIGHT AGAINST THE CHANGE
In Romans 12:2 Paul admonishes every Christian, "And be not conformed to this world."
The word "conform" means "to fashion like" or "to be conformed to the same pattern."
The world in which Christians live seeks to shape and fashion our life into its own image and likeness. Daily, there is the pressure to think like the world, adapt to the world, thus live as the world.
However, the Christian is commanded not to pattern their selves or allow themselves to be patterned after the world or the age in which we live.
2. YOU MUST BE FEARFUL OF COMPROMISE
Dr. R.G. Lee said, "We live in a world of invertebrate theology, jellyfish morality, see-saw religion, India-rubber convictions, somersault philosophy, and a psychology that tells us what we already know in words we don't understand."
Some types of compromise are good. When building relationships and businesses compromise can be a powerful tool, but when it comes to our Christian values & practices there can be no compromise on the part of the Christian. It must be black and white with gray being out of the question.
There were several young Jewish boys carried into Babylon, but only four are called by name; Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It would appear that all the others compromised with the appointments of the king, but not these four.
Vance Havner said, "If you try to be everything to everybody, you will end up being nothing to anybody."
Their eternal place in the Word of God and the testimony they left us would have been forfeited if they had compromised. Therefore, compromise is something that every Christian should fear.
There are blessings that can be sacrificed on the altar of compromise.
3. YOU MUST SEARCH DILEGENLY FOR GODLY CONVICTIONS
How was it that Daniel and his friends stood when it seems that everyone else seem to adopt and adapt to the Chaldean culture? It was because they had convictions. If one does not have convictions, they will easy give way to the pressure of the world to conform.
They would not change because they had convictions. They would not compromise because they had convictions. Daniel 1:8 says, "But Daniel purposed in his heart."
The word "purposed" means "to put, place, set, fix." There were some things that were fixed and settled in his heart.
In a world, even the church world, where it seems that there are no absolutes, it is important that the Christian purpose in his or her heart that when it comes to certain things they will have to “draw the line.”
It has been said that if we do not stand for something we will fall for everything. How true!
Dear Christian, if you have convictions while living in this world, no doubt, this will put you in danger. But your convictions will also work as a preservative that will stand as a testimony of God’s grace down through time.
Oh, I can hear the carnal and worldly church crowd who believes everything is right and nothing is wrong saying, "You are one of those hard-line fundamentalists."
You can brand me anyway you want to, but convictions are necessary. They not only guide us, but they also guard us from change and compromise.
Long ago, William Law warned that the world is now a greater enemy to the Christian than it was in apostolic times: "It is a greater enemy, because it has greater power over Christians by its favors, riches, honors, rewards, and protection than it had by the fire and fury of its persecutors. It is a more dangerous enemy, by having lost its appearance of enmity. Its outward profession of Christianity makes it no longer considered as an enemy, and therefore the people are easily persuaded to resign themselves up to be governed and directed by it."
In a world in which the majority of Christian seem comfortable and conformed to this world, dare to be a Daniel. Draw the line in the sand. It may not be popular, but it will be worth it.
In closing let me say that I’m proud to be a card-carrying member of the counter culture!
Brother Jeff Sizemore
Posted in Devotions 2021
Tagged with Compromise, Godly Convictions, KJV, King James Bible, Devotion, Devotional, Hold the Line, Romans 12, Daniel 1, Draw the Line, Purpose, Fight, Soldier, Daniel, Counter Culture, Light vs Darkness, Line in the Sand
Tagged with Compromise, Godly Convictions, KJV, King James Bible, Devotion, Devotional, Hold the Line, Romans 12, Daniel 1, Draw the Line, Purpose, Fight, Soldier, Daniel, Counter Culture, Light vs Darkness, Line in the Sand
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