Colby Junkin

"I Will Serve the Lord" by Colby Junkin

I Will Serve the Lord


Our world has become an increasingly violent society and scary place to live. The violence of man has been manifested once again in Washington D.C., where twelve people working in a secured work zone lost their lives to a crazed gunman, and in Nairobi, Kenya, where 10-15 terrorists have killed 67 people and injured 175 more while they were shopping in a city mall. The wickedness of mankind was demonstrated in the slaughter of the 1,400 innocent Syrian civilians, killed by chemical weapons used against them by their own government. Even beyond these incidents of mass killings and violence, there are the everyday shootings and murders that occur in our own counties, cities, and even neighborhoods. We have been made fearful of going to a movie, working on the job, or just walking at the park because of the violence and hatred that is manifested in our society. As our society becomes increasingly violent, could this also influence us to become fearful of teaching and preaching the gospel?

We live in a world that is journeying down a road that has already been traveled. In the days of Noah, we read of a world where wickedness was truly running rampant and the only way to describe this society was that “every intent and thought of their hearts were only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). It was a world where only one man and his immediate family found grace in the eyes of God and He promised to destroy by flood (Genesis 6:8; 7:23). Why does mankind not recognize their sinfulness and turn to their only source of forgiveness? Why will man not turn and be saved by the grace of their Savior?

No matter the situations that may confront us, we must always remember that we have a message for our world. It is a message that the world will often ridicule and demean, but it must be taught, especially in a world falling headlong into a pit of sinfulness and violence. The gospel is needed more today than yesterday, and will be even more tomorrow. It is the simple plan of salvation and the desire for all men to be saved from their sins that should motivate us in a violent world to reach those that are lost.

In a world corrupted with wickedness and evil thoughts continually, Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). We can imagine there were times that Noah felt insufficient in his ability to proclaim the coming judgment of God, but it is never recorded that he stopped. The Hebrew writer captured the attitude of Noah in the building of the ark. Noah, while preparing for something he had never seen, built a boat and by his faithful obedience to God’s commands, he condemned the world that surrounded him (Hebrews 11:7). He was able to stand for the right, when there was no one else to stand with him.

In a religious society that was corrupt with human traditions and ideals, our Savior Jesus Christ came to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 4:17). While Jesus must have grown weary from the hundreds of miracles He completed and the thousands that He spoke to, He never stopped trying to reach those that were lost. Jesus saw the Jews as they were, lost sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). He felt compassion for them and even after long days He did not send them away empty, spiritually or physically (Mark 6:34, 40-42). In the end, after all His disciples had deserted Him, Jesus died alone to bring salvation to everyone.

In a world of hatred and vengeance, the disciples were sent to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). Jesus had forewarned His disciples, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). On multiple occasions, Jesus told the disciples that the world would hate them because of the message they were teaching (Matthew 10:16-23). The promise of martyrdom came true for everyone of the apostles, except possibly John. All of them served God to the death and were baptized with the same baptism as Christ (Mark 10:38-39). We do not know precisely every detail of each disciple’s demise, but we know at least Paul’s final thoughts. He said, “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me...But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me” (2 Timothy 4:16-17). At the end of his life, Paul’s teaching the gospel brought him loneliness physically and ultimately his death, but he was spiritually strengthened by the Lord.

What is one similar characteristic found in all three examples of preaching and carrying out God’s will? In each story, the similar characteristic was loneliness. While Noah did have his family, still only eight souls were saved through the flood and all the rest died. While Jesus had family at the cross, He alone suffered and died upon the tree. While Paul had no supporters, he forgave their absence and found his strength in the Lord. What can we learn from these examples?

Standing for the right and teaching the message of God’s truth to the lost can be a lonely task. We may at times be the only one standing for the right, but this must not change our attitudes or diminish our spirits, because we have faith that God stands with us no matter those that are against us (Hebrews 13:5-6). We must remember the words of Jesus to His disciples, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Fearing man and his never-ending quest of wickedness and violence must not stop our teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been charged by God to teach, and only those that endure to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22; 28:19-20).

With this in mind, I remember the words of Habakkuk. Habakkuk was prophesying in the 7th century prior to the capture of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans (Babylonians). Habakkuk did not understand God’s use of the wicked Babylonians to bring about judgment against the Israelites, but he had faith in the righteousness and justice of God. After God had answered all his questions, the final refrain of his book captures the mindset that we must always have as Christians. Habakkuk said: 16 I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments. (3:16-19)

No matter the surrounding situations or the forces that were coming against him, Habakkuk was going to praise the Lord and be strengthened by Him. May the same be said concerning us. The world around us may continue to fall deeper into sin and wickedness, but our faithfulness to God and our willingness to serve and teach His gospel must never waver. We are not promised tomorrow and have no idea what it may bring, but may each day we live bring fruitful harvest to the glory of our God.


Colby Junkin
bcjunkin1029@me.com


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