Stephen was being
stoned to death because of his stand for Christ. He had just witnessed to God's past and
present workings amongst God's people.
He was a strong follower of Christ and unashamed of it. He was recognized in the Church as a godly
man and servant of the Lord. He was not
popular among those who would not accept Christ as being the promised Messiah.
As he was dying,
Stephen looked up to heaven and he saw Jesus.
This was the first recorded instance where we find Jesus standing in
heaven. He normally was sitting at His
rightful place at the right hand of God on His throne. I believe that the Lord was giving Stephen a
standing ovation for being the first martyr of the faith.
I wonder how many of
us are being honored in heaven today because of our faith. I wonder how much honor we are being given in
heaven. In order to receive honor from
the Lord, we must live honorable lives before Him and man. If we live consistently lives of
righteousness, it honors the Lord. If we
are not ashamed of the Gospel and our Lord and witness for Him whenever we have
the chance without regard for the consequences, we are honored in heaven. If we live holy lives, we are being honored
in heaven. If we live solely by faith,
we are being honored in heaven. If Jesus
is Lord of our lives, we are being honored in heaven.
We may not get a
standing ovation from the Lord, but we will be greeted at heaven's doors by our
Lord and He will say unto the faithful, "Well done, good and faithful
servant. Enter now into the kingdom of
your Lord." If the Lord finds us
faithful, great will be our reward in heaven.
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