“What I tell you in the dark,
speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul ...” -
Jesus Christ
Permission to speak honestly? I’ve always done the opposite. “Killing the soul” has always been so conceptual to me that I have not been terribly troubled at the thought. Killing the body? Now that I understand. And truth be told, I have feared it at times. But, again, it’s all so hypothetical, right?
So let’s get real. Any day of the week, we can easily board a twelve-hour flight, during which we’ll read a book, watch a movie, eat some peanuts, take a snooze and finally re-emerge from our pressurized tube into a new place with a new reality. Like Libya, where Christians are being martyred for their faith. Or Syria, where Christians are being martyred for their faith. Or Egypt, where Christians are being martyred for their faith. Or Iraq... You get the point. As we read this Christian blog post, our brothers and sisters just a few hours away are losing their Christian lives.
But that’s “over there” somewhere. Real to “them,” certainly, but abstract still to us. We offer up a petition on their behalf, thank God it’s not happening here and then meet a friend over latte to discuss what’s wrong with our worship services.
What is wrong with us? How is it, our faith has become a self-absorbed creature comfort? Someone calls us narrow-minded and we call it persecution! And even in the face of such oppression-lite, we “temper” our message so as to save face or not to offend others. How will we ever stand firm should we be truly tested like our brothers and sisters a few time zones to the East?
Or stated differently, why is it they are being martyred, anyway? It is because they proclaim Jesus Christ and stand in him, even amid real persecution. So we are humbled by those we pity. And those we pity are honored.
Note to self: It is time to snap out of my stupor. Time to humble myself and learn from those who have lived their belief to the point of death. Time to come before God as he is, not as I’ve redefined him. Time to proclaim the faith I’ve concealed. No matter the cost.
Lord, thank you for your conviction; I turn to you. Be my strength; I have no other.
“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heave. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32, 33
[Click here to see the daily devotional reading in Matthew 10:26-33.]
Permission to speak honestly? I’ve always done the opposite. “Killing the soul” has always been so conceptual to me that I have not been terribly troubled at the thought. Killing the body? Now that I understand. And truth be told, I have feared it at times. But, again, it’s all so hypothetical, right?
So let’s get real. Any day of the week, we can easily board a twelve-hour flight, during which we’ll read a book, watch a movie, eat some peanuts, take a snooze and finally re-emerge from our pressurized tube into a new place with a new reality. Like Libya, where Christians are being martyred for their faith. Or Syria, where Christians are being martyred for their faith. Or Egypt, where Christians are being martyred for their faith. Or Iraq... You get the point. As we read this Christian blog post, our brothers and sisters just a few hours away are losing their Christian lives.
But that’s “over there” somewhere. Real to “them,” certainly, but abstract still to us. We offer up a petition on their behalf, thank God it’s not happening here and then meet a friend over latte to discuss what’s wrong with our worship services.
What is wrong with us? How is it, our faith has become a self-absorbed creature comfort? Someone calls us narrow-minded and we call it persecution! And even in the face of such oppression-lite, we “temper” our message so as to save face or not to offend others. How will we ever stand firm should we be truly tested like our brothers and sisters a few time zones to the East?
Or stated differently, why is it they are being martyred, anyway? It is because they proclaim Jesus Christ and stand in him, even amid real persecution. So we are humbled by those we pity. And those we pity are honored.
Note to self: It is time to snap out of my stupor. Time to humble myself and learn from those who have lived their belief to the point of death. Time to come before God as he is, not as I’ve redefined him. Time to proclaim the faith I’ve concealed. No matter the cost.
Lord, thank you for your conviction; I turn to you. Be my strength; I have no other.
“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heave. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32, 33
[Click here to see the daily devotional reading in Matthew 10:26-33.]
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