My Banner Will Be Clear

      I ran across something the other day that was both a challenge and an encouragement to me. I hope it does the same for you.
     The following letter was found in the study of a young pastor in Zimbabwe, not long after he was martyred for the cause of Christ.
         

      "I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit's power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line, The decision has been made- I am a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

    I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t
    have to be first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in His
    presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer, and I labor with power.
         My face is set, my gait fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my
    companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought compromised,
    detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or decayed. I will not flinch in the face of
    sacrifices, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or
    meander in the maze of mediocrity.
         I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached
    up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach
    till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no
    problem recognizing me...my banner will be clear."

     The passion of this young man effectively puts the apathy of many Christians in our nation to shame. He said that "the die has been cast." He recognized that, when he made the decision to follow Christ, he cast in his lot with the King of Kings. He obviously felt a desire to serve God, but we also see that he felt himself to be under an obligation to serve God.
     Look what this young pastor says at the end. "And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me...my banner will be clear." This young man made an on-purpose effort to be clearly identified with Christ. In Hebrews 11, we find what is known by many as the Hall of Faith. In verse 13, we read,
     "13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
     14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. (italics mine)"
These heroes of the faith did not keep their faith hidden. They didn't "hide their candle under a bushel." They were not afraid to be identified with the One they served. Verse 13 says that they confessed the fact that they were not of this world. Verse 14 says that they declared plainly their pilgrimage to the place to which God was calling them.
     I hope and pray that my standard, my affiliation, will be as clear.