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- Oct 26, 2007
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Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' " Matthew 27:41-43 NKJV
Peer pressure can take your faith and ask you to toss it in the dustbin of failed ideas. You could hear a comment like “You don’t really believe that stuff about Jesus, do you?” That question makes it seem like the only answer is to deny that Jesus means anything to you.
This happened on a hill near Jerusalem when Jesus hung dying on a cross. The religious leaders were doing their best to impact the faith of Jesus’ followers: “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.” They even did the first-century version of the triple dog dare by mocking Jesus and telling Him to get down from the cross on His own—if He could.
That wasn’t God’s plan. If Jesus was to be the sacrifice for all sin, then He would need to die. You can take heart in believing in an outcome more impressive than the tragedy, in trusting an outcome to God during circumstances you can’t control.
Prayer: I don’t want to give up or give in when others mock You, God. Strengthen me and embolden me to stand for You.
Peer pressure can take your faith and ask you to toss it in the dustbin of failed ideas. You could hear a comment like “You don’t really believe that stuff about Jesus, do you?” That question makes it seem like the only answer is to deny that Jesus means anything to you.
This happened on a hill near Jerusalem when Jesus hung dying on a cross. The religious leaders were doing their best to impact the faith of Jesus’ followers: “He saved others; Himself He cannot save.” They even did the first-century version of the triple dog dare by mocking Jesus and telling Him to get down from the cross on His own—if He could.
That wasn’t God’s plan. If Jesus was to be the sacrifice for all sin, then He would need to die. You can take heart in believing in an outcome more impressive than the tragedy, in trusting an outcome to God during circumstances you can’t control.
Prayer: I don’t want to give up or give in when others mock You, God. Strengthen me and embolden me to stand for You.
