No Compromise

“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.”  - Matthew 10: 32-33 (NKJV)

I’ve been thinking a lot about compromise lately. When we should, and when we shouldn’t. Thousands of government and supporting workers are back on the job because a Virginia politician compromised. He now faces backlash from his own party. Thousands of marriages have been saved because husbands and wives have compromised. Others will fail because one or both spouses choose not to. More prisoners of war returned. More ceasefires on and off. Even more cars and houses sold, all because of compromise.

In a few weeks, pundits, preachers and messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention will, once again, undoubtedly contest the roles of women in ministry. Some will suggest compromise, while others will choose conviction over compromise. Undoubtedly, more Southern Baptist churches will leave or be asked to leave the denomination.

Almost daily, each of us makes a decision about compromise. Recently, I sat by the hospital bed of someone in hospice care. I walked her through the plan of salvation to affirm and/or encourage her faith in God, and trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Shortly after she passed, a relative reached out to me about the funeral I’d been asked by the departed to officiate. “We don’t want this to be a church service, they instructed, “so please limit ‘the religious stuff’ to a prayer and a reading from the Psalms you mentioned at the hospital.”

I politely informed them that, I needed to honor not only the person, but also God. I let them know that, in order to do that, I felt it was important to let everyone know that God had, in her words “restored her soul” as the Psalmist wrote. My hope, I explained, was that others would have the same peace as the departed, knowing she was now in a place where the Bible promises God “will wipe every tear, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”

I offered to step aside, if that wasn’t acceptable, and they quickly took me up on it. This saddened me greatly. Although it would have required me to drive several hours as well as prepare for the service, I was looking forward to honoring this lovely woman and sharing the Gospel.

I have come to realize, that the love of Jesus is not always received lovingly. What I do know is Jesus is very specific about compromise. We are to acknowledge Him before men. We are to do it, in both our words and actions, and more often than not, our actions speak louder than our words. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit gives us the discernment to know the difference between our passions and preferences, and His plan, for our lives, our church, and the lost. No compromise.