Daily devotion – a dash of incense
Reading through my devotion in the Book of Revelation, I was brought to consider the Apostle John’s exile come imprisonment on the Island of Patmos because he was a Christian.
John was away from the Church, he knew that many of his fellow apostles had been martyred, and now he finds himself alone in prison on an rocky island.
Initially, the Roman Empire had been tolerant of other religions including Christianity.
But there came a change, concerned with the crumbling empire, losing income, they pushed for a greater test of political loyalty, each person within the Roman Empire, was required to swear allegiance to Caesar.
Imagine as we gathered in Secret Harbour on a Sunday and a vehicle pulling up with armed guards, setting up a booth and then requiring everyone in Secret Harbour to line up and swear allegiance to the current world leader.
This is what happened during John’s time and may well have been the reason he was imprisoned on Patmos. Picture Christians living in those times, going about their daily affairs working in their places of employment – when suddenly horses arrive with a Roman Centurion in charge, a leather table is set up, a flame is lit, a herald shouts his orders for all to gather immediately.
Christians along with all others in the community form a line heading for the table on which is a small flame burning requiring incenses and worship to Caesar to be offered.
As the Christians hedge ever closer, what will they do? Avoid the persecution, protect themselves and their families, by muttering “Caesar is Lord” and then creep back home to safety? Or will they recognize this as an act of blasphemy against the lordship of Jesus Christ, refuse the incense, instead proclaim “Jesus is Lord”, and then suffer the price of disloyalty to the government and leader?
What would you have done – what would you do if you were required today to worship a government leader dictator?
We in today’s society in the west, cannot relate to such persecution. We have in addition allowed our own standards to fall in line with existing world standards and thus have no concept of what it means to live sacrificially for Christ.
Sadly, many Christians today through various temptations, through peer pressure, find themselves surrendering to worldly passions, justifying pleasures the world offers.
How do we ensure that we will not bow down to Caesar?
By keeping close to the Cross, by keeping in fellowship with Christ in our personal daily devotion and by keeping connected and in fellowship with the body of Christ, the Church.
Time is approaching when we will be tested and who we call Lord.
Romans 12: 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.