Stand

Why do people stand when greeting someone? To show respect, signal engagement, and create physical equality during the interaction. What does it mean to "take a stand"? Sometimes, if the interaction is negative, a person will stand in defiance of whatever they are facing. If you have ever seen the movie Braveheart, then you will see that William Wallace took a stand, knowing he could die for taking that stand, but a whole nation rallied behind him and beside him to fight the forces of England. Wallace did have his life taken from him, and the last word he said was the reason he took that stand, and that word was "FREEDOM"!

The Apostle Paul took his stand for the gospel, and the ones who were against him were those who did not believe the gospel was true, or that Jesus was the Messiah. Paul proclaimed the word "FREEDOM", and the freedom that he was proclaiming was the freedom provided by Jesus to those who would believe and be set free from the penalty of sin. TRUE ETERNAL FREEDOM!! Paul wrote to the church in Rome, explaining the stand that Jesus took for their sins. Romans 5: ⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus went to the cross for all sinners, and those who will believe will receive eternal life in heaven. Romans 10:¹³ For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. When we stand, we stand in respect for the gospel and for the one who is the truth of the gospel, and the one who took that stand is Jesus, our Savior. Here is where we take our stand. Luke 9: 23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Once we stand, we need to keep standing and not sit down again. Luke 9: ⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

When we stand, keep standing, and the Holy Spirit will strengthen you to keep standing!

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren