40 For he
that is not against us is on our part.
41 For
whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong
to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. (Mark 9:40-41)
This scripture always
kind of puzzled me, but today I realized that is describing how even little
acts of support for those who are on Christ’s side will merit reward. This scripture is perfect for times
when feelings are highly polarized for or against the gospel of Christ and when
there are very public consequences for standing up for our beliefs.
If even giving a cup
of water to a disciple of Christ because of their service and commitment will
bring a reward someday, then larger displays and helping acts will also
certainly be rewarded.
On the other hand,
the penalty for doing the opposite is heavy, as the thought continues:
And whosoever
shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him
that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
(Mark 9:42)
Usually this verse is
used to warn of the seriousness of child abuse, but with the above
understanding about being on Christ’s side, we see it is saying that
persecuting and opposing even a very young child who believes in Christ brings
down some pretty awful curses, and Christ has the insight and authority to warn
of those as well.
So don’t be afraid to
support the cause of Christ! It will give us much to look forward to in the
future.
1 comments:
These are great verses--I think about them every time one of my little ones asks for a cup of water in bed when they are supposed to be sleeping. When I'm tempted to tell them no and to go back to bed I think about the millstone and get them the water!
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