By Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 10:32-33).
Denying Jesus is a terrible thing to do. Yet, at some time in our lives, we have all done that very thing. We can deny Him by our words and our actions. Even our silence — failing to speak up for Him when we should — is a form of denial. It is certain that we should never be ashamed of Him — after all He is our Savior.
John 1:11-12 says, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Clearly, we are given the option to receive or reject Him. Receiving Jesus by faith means we confess Him before this world. We will never be ashamed that we have received Him.
In addition to being unashamed of Jesus, we are unashamed of His gospel. The Apostle Paul stated this most eloquently in Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” We read the gospel, believe the gospel and do our best to live it out in our lives. We will never be ashamed that we have believed and stood for the gospel of Christ.
In Joel 2, there are two verses that contain the exact same phrase regarding God’s people. Look closely at verses 26 and 27: “And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.” That phrase is: “..and my people shall never be ashamed.”
This phrase pertains to us today. This phrase will pertain to us on the Day of Judgement. Just imagine hearing Jesus say to our Heavenly Father, “This one was not ashamed of me and I am not ashamed of him/her.” He has promised we will never be ashamed. He will keep that promise.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 