Shortly after having my children, my hair would fall out by the hand full. It would have been a bit disconcerting if I didn’t have really thick hair. I would think, “well.. Lord, there’s 20 less to keep track of!” It’s nice to know, bald or bouffant, the Lord knows you. He just doesn’t know details about you though, such as the number of hairs on your head. He is aware of you, paying attention to your life. Matthew 10 tells us that He pays attention to the sparrows knowing if they rise or fall and how much more valuable you are to him then they.
What I find interesting is that the Lord took a moment to encourage us, by illustrating how valuable we are to God, not in the middle of a story about overcoming storms but in the middle of telling us to be a witness of Him in the earth.
Matt 10:27-32 27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Why did he stop to let us know that God was watching out for us? Even down to the number of hairs on our head. In verse 31, he goes on to say “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Fear. Have you ever been afraid to tell someone about Jesus, afraid to speak the truth, afraid to let people know that you are a child of God? You may quickly say no, but Jesus was telling his disciples who had walked with him day in and day out not to fear because the world would not always accept them. How many times do we stay silent because we “fear” rejection?
Jesus continued to tell us in verse 32 and 33, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” Not denying the Lord is so important. Not allowing fear to be the reason we stay silent is part of that.
The fact is, God is for us! He has our back and is watching over us! He’s not just keeping tally of the detail of our life. He cares about us with great love. Jesus encourages us, don’t shrink back in the face of the world. Stand up for the word! Confess Jesus as your Lord and savior and tell others about what he has done for you and will do for them.
In this same chapter, verses 7-8,15, Jesus was telling the disciples “as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
As disciples of Christ, we are to freely give what we have received! Just like the 12, we are to display Jesus in the earth without fearing rejection. The sad truth is that those who reject Jesus Christ are the ones who should fear.
I encourage you today…God has your back! He is on your side. Don’t allow yourself to be silenced by fear of mans rejection. Be an example of Jesus in the earth and give freely as you have received! Amen!
Say this, Father I ask that you fill my mouth as I confess you before my friends and co-workers. I will not fear rejection. I shake it off! Thank you for loving me so much. Thank you for encouraging me through your word. I count it as precious! In Jesus Name, Amen.