FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
REFLECTIONS ON JUSTIN MARTYR
At my men’s group meeting this morning at Forge, Dan Lacich, my pastor at Oviedo City Church spoke about a dude named Justin Martyr, who spent a good portion of his life passionately defending the morality of the Christian life, and it’s persecution by the Roman empire. Ultimately Justin was martyred, along with some of his students, for their faith.
The message made me ask the question, “How do I handle threats to my faith?”
During our table discussion, the first thing that came to mind for me was that the first step toward handling threats to our faith is training. We must study God’s Word on a daily basis, hopefully at the start of each day – make a daily appointment with God. Paul wrote to Timothy: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)
There is no other way we will ever be able to deal with all that life has to offer without daily and diligently delving into God’s Word…
The second focus that came to mind regards our surroundings. We must also be careful not to surround ourselves too closely with those who don’t believe in God’s Word. I have many friends who are not Christians and I do love them. But we sure have a different way of looking at the world. Unbelievers just don’t have as much in common as believers do. They don’t have the same goals, morals, or social life that believers in Christ have.
Common sense will certainly tell you that we become like those with whom we spend the most time. Be aware of your surroundings and control them; don’t let your surroundings control you.
Finally, I thought about the fact that we have to practice what we know is right. Too often we focus on doing what we’ve always done. We don’t progress, keep in shape, work out daily. The warning is clear: “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity.” (Hebrews 5:14-6:1)
Have a blessed week.
Joe Bouch
