The Better Miracle

"Its just as wrong for the Christians to devour the lions as it is for the lions to eat the Christians"

"When they (the lions) attack you with their mouths (tongues), when they rise up against you in judgment with their false accusations - the better miracle is to trust God to shut their mouths, not deliver you from amongst them".


"The better miracle is to always see the other soul won to Christ"


Deliverance should only be desired when it produces a witness that will transform our enemies into true saints of God. Indeed, we often must willingly sacrafice ourselves for the good of others, in particular, our enemies, like lambs to the slaughter, that our enemies, having consumed us, will have righteousness enter in, that God, the God of Righteousness, may impact them from the inside, having gained entrance through a witness of true faith and trust in the Father. Paul could have been delivered but instead was stoned twice, a double portion for Stephen's stoning. I am sure Paul willingly accepted this and counted it a joy and a blessing to suffer for Christ's sake.

Had Jesus sought deliverance instead of sacrafice, we would all perish without hope, yet His example is ours to embrace too.

And just how do we shut the lion's mouths? Through the godly witness we provide when they attack us. By living so righteously that they become ashamed to speak evil of us. Responding to their taunts and lies by turning the other cheek - this is the thousand deaths we die daily. If we allow ourselves to die daily then the big sacrafice won't be so hard having been preceded by the many small ones.  In this way, death loosens it's grip on us, day by day, till it no longer over us holds sway.

Sacrafice is a life-style choice, chosen or rejected daily - like "what will I wear today?" or "How will I dress my heart today?" With humility and self-sacrafice or with haughtiness and self-exaltation?

"I die daily" is the declaration of a broken heart fully succumbed to Christ and it must "die daily" because of it's constant readiness/willingness to abandon Christ and follow it's carnal desires. Our souls will either daily die to our flesh's lusts and desires or to Christ and his will for us, to his righteousness,.

Because of our frailties, no choice is permanent but must be daily affirmed and obeyed - whether righteousness or rebellion - each choice can be changed each day. This provides hope for the rebellious son and a warning for the faithful son who chooses to remain in his Father's house daily.