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Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before others, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven.

— Matthew 10:32-33

I wonder what the reaction was among Jesus’s twelve disciples when He spoke these words. He’d called them together to give instructions as He sent them out to do the work of ministry. It started like this: “Go tell people, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near,’ heal sick people and lepers, bring dead people back to life, and cast out any demons you meet” (see Matthew 10:7-8). Pretty great stuff, right? But before the disciples could get too excited about this newfound authority and power, Jesus said, “Oh, and by the way, don’t take money or any extra clothes—you don’t need them. Also, you’re probably going to run into people who don’t like you and don’t care that you have nothing. Best-case scenario, they’re going to want someone to beat you and put you in jail. Worst-case, they’ll want you dead. Either way, you’ll live kind of like a fugitive, and everyone will hate you” (see Matthew 10:9-20).

That must have changed the mood, don’t you think? And we get it. We like being connected to Jesus when it comes to His authority over death, but when it involves suffering on earth—that’s different. But it’s really not different at all. Connection to Jesus requires commitment to Him in both realities.

And that’s what Jesus’s instructions to His disciples came down to in verses 32-33. Being connected to Jesus, on earth and in heaven, involves unashamedly acknowledging that He, our Savior and Lord, took our shame. There will come a day when that acknowledgement will no longer be a choice. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is King—by the necessity of sudden realization and awe (Philippians 2:10-11). But those who join Him throughout eternity are those who choose to stand on His authority, trusting Him in the highs and the lows of life. So what about you? He’s inviting you. Start acknowledging Him as your Lord and Savior, unashamedly, today.

• Listen to Matthew West’s “Unashamed.” What lyrics stand out to you as particularly encouraging? Which stand out to you as challenging?
• Are there situations where you’re afraid to tell people about Jesus? Are there situations where you find yourself not wanting to be known as a Christian because it’s hard? How is God speaking to you through Jesus’s words in Matthew 10 and the song “Unashamed”?
• Ask God to help you serve Him unashamedly every single day in every single circumstance.