Stand Up

John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Mark 6:18

In your face. A king being told by an ordinary man of what is lawful and what is not. Herod took his brother’s wife thus John the Baptist told him, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herod has the power to judge who will live and who will die. John has the call to say what is right and what is wrong. In Herod’s face, John stood up. John did not stand down. No sugarcoating. No dilly dally. No beating around the bush. He told the king what has to be told even at the risk of his earthly life. In my mind, John gave the correction in a loving way, for if not, Herod would not kept him in custody but sent him to death right away. However, in the end, John died for standing up.

The world nowadays is colored gray. Black and white are mixed up. Often times, we stand down to opportunities to standing up for what is right or wrong. If my boss does what is wrong then I join him. If my father is a womanizer so let me be one. If my friends do pre-marital sex, I jump into it. If abortion is legal, just do it. If divorce is accepted, let me apply it.

And this is all happening in our face. And the call is the same – stand up. To stand up is to die like John. Die with our fears of getting ridiculed because we take a stand. Die with fears of not being accepted when we straighten up our feet. Bury our fears of not being heard because our voices will be overcome by their voices. Bring your fear of futility to rest for nothing is wasted when we stand up for God. Let our fears and worries die so we may bring life in others.

Do not take wrong by sitting pretty. Stand up.