“This saying is trustworthy: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Timothy 2:11-13 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/2ti.2.11-13.CSB

This is a simple description of the daily Christian life. We die with Christ when, like Christ, we deny ourselves and do the will of God. Our baptism symbolized this death, and our daily actions of self-denial to speak and work toward God’s kingdom coming and His will being done on earth as it is in heaven reflect this death even as Jesus only did the will of His Father while living on earth as one of us. This daily speaking and working for God’s glory on earth will result in men rejecting and persecuting us, beginning in our own families, for we must, like Jesus, call people to repentance and obedience to faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. We are not making our faith known if we have no conflict with our faith. Jesus’ own family rejected Him before His resurrection, and He suffered much from religious leaders who rejected His claim to be Messiah. We will also suffer in the marketplace and in our homes for insisting upon the truth of God’s word and the requirement to obey God’s ways as we identify and promote Jesus as Savior and Lord. If we fail this work, either by omission or commission, He will deny knowing us on that day He awakens us from the dead or returns with His angels. He warns us that those who are ashamed of Him on this earth He will be ashamed of to bring them to heaven. He is faithful to His word, His standard, and His ways. God is not compromising His truth even if we do or some of our so-called churches deny the clear teachings found in the Scripture. God is faithful. God is holy. He has judged the world through Noah, again in Jesus, and will again judge the world a final time upon His reappearing to claim His rightful place on earth as He is in heaven as King of kings and Lord of lords. Let us be found faithful so our Lord and Savior Jesus will receive us in joy.