Key verse: 2Timothy 2:11-13
11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: 13 if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself
2 Kings 5:20-27
Except with the scare of death, like the direct Apostles and other disciples of Christ faced in the scripture, it is not likely that any would say about Christ, “I know Him not.” Hence, when we speak of denying Christ, it is not a mere vocal affair. Denying Christ can be in very many ways. For instance, it is a denial of Christ to refuse to act in the face of oppression – when darkness overwhelms the people; it is a denial to disobey the dictates of God; and it is a denial to sell out on Him. Aside denying Christ directly and vocally when He faced His trial in the hands of those who eventually crucified Him, Peter denied Christ after His death. He had an assignment to raise a flock for Christ. Rather, he returned to his fishing trade abandoning Christ. The story of Gehazi is another example of denial. The master had acted in favor of glorifying God instead of merchandising Kingdom affairs. It will appear though that the prophet was not so affluent and Gehazi assumed wealth was equally important. But while the Master was concerned about the Kingdom, he took what he believed in more, denying the master and the Kingdom.
Denying the master has grave consequences. Like Gehazi was to later learn with pain, when one denies the master, He (the Master), in turn denies the same too. Almost immediately after his denying the master, Gehazi suffered a great fate. He became leprous and the master who assisted a foreigner to get cured of leprosy could not countenance him as he had also to be denied.
Whatever lures us to deny the Lord is setting up destruction and reciprocal denial. Like in everything God does, because He is a Big God, His denial brings bigger consequence to the one denied than what he may have done in denial. Money is good; materials are fine but not at the expense of losing it all. But what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole earth and loses his soul? Why not stand up for Christ who is the Truth, in all that you do? When it is untrue, Christ is not in it and it is a denial. If Christ be denied, He in turn denies the person concerned and it is more calamitous when He does. Please be guided.
Pray: Father, no matter how a thing be disguised in my face, if it will amount to a denial of Christ, do please help me to stand for Christ instead in the name of Jesus.
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