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February 20
Remnant of Grace
We often think that bigger is better and that
greater numbers is a sign of God's blessing.
Quite often just the opposite is true however.
Jesus taught that the meek and poor and spirit
were blessed.
Of the seven churches in Revelation, only two
are praised without reservation, Smyrna the
persecuted church and Philadelphia the smallest
church.
God chooses to work with a small number or a
remnant far more often than a majority.
When Christianity is in the minority people must
rely on God completely. This was the
lesson that God taught Gideon when He reduced
the army down to only 300 men. A remnant
means that people must rely on God because they
cannot trust the outside world to protect them.
Christianity has been its weakest when its
numbers were the strongest. In the 300's
AD Constantine made Christianity the official
religion of Rome and the Holy Roman Empire
began. Christianity became accepted and
soon it was a national way of life instead of a
personal conviction.
When we get frustrated today by small numbers,
we need to remember that God can do great things
in spite of our numbers and it can even be a
blessing as we must rely on Him instead of other
things. |
