August 3, 2026 · David Farmer
For the Name’s Sake
“This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.”
Luke 21:13-19 →
## A Mouth of Wisdom
Recent devotional ideas leading up to today have been investing your time in things that will last beyond time and watching God take care of the rough spots for us. He provides what we need in the time we need it, but why does He provide like that? This leads us right into His purpose for us. While God provides the things we need in our lives, He provides the words we need too. After all, our purpose is to bear witness, and today’s devotional is pointedly about witnessing. How does God give us wisdom on the spot? He gives us the Holy Spirit Himself living within us. Mark and I have discussed a hundred times that the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s gift is not just to speak in tongues within the church walls and walk out. Tongues has a purpose. While this gift is for speaking to God and building up the self (1 Corinthians 12:1, 4), Jesus directed the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit. Why? To become His Witnesses (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit’s only job in the non-believing world is to bring them to belief in Jesus. His job in us, the believer, is to make us into the thing that convinces them through actions, lifestyle, and words.
## Losses and Gains
Jesus starts out this section painting a grim picture though; one of world war, food shortage and disease. People usually fall back on family during these times, but He has an answer for that too.
Those who do not stand with Jesus stand against Him. If you stand with Jesus, those who do not stand with Him stand against you too. It’s hard for us to imagine this in our western culture, but many who convert to Christianity in Middle Eastern cultures are regularly reported to the authorities or pursued until death by family. But Jesus gives a promise of protection— protection against perishing, not physical death.
## Self-Check
When we focus on things that are temporary, we fall apart when they do. When we focus on Jesus and His purpose for us, the world can crumble and it doesn’t touch us. Even when our persecutors put their hands on us, it doesn’t touch us. Endurance for the Name’s sake is the end goal.
## Near The End