Peace family, many believers have died for their faith this year, especially abroad, but also more than usual in the U.S. We’ve had brothers and sisters murdered in churches, but also out in the open, questioned about their faith, and silenced with a bullet.
Naturally at these times, we ask ourselves, “How would I answer in that situation? Would I have the courage to die in Jesus’ name?”
Peace family, God’s grace is sufficient for you. God forbid you ever have to make that choice, but no matter how you would behave in that moment, God is still greater, he loves you, and he will not abandon you, no matter what (remember how even St. Peter, who, though he believed Christ in his heart, denied him with his mouth when he was afraid.)
I think it’s almost a more difficult choice though, when the lines aren’t so dramatically drawn. Yes, we might choose to die for Christ. But do we choose to LIVE for Christ?
In the quiet moments, when no one is watching to either praise us for good choices or shun us for evil ones, and the temptation is strong, will we choose to live for Christ? Will we live for him, in the midnight hour of our souls, when we feel like someone or something precious has been taken from us, and obedience feels pointless and unrewarding? When God gives us what we didn’t ask for and don’t want, will we still say, “Yes, Lord”? Will we live for Christ, when sacrifice is exhausting, people are hurting, and others make fun of us, or look over us, or back-stab us and treat us with disdain, disloyalty, and disrespect?
Peace family, these are our greatest opportunities to shine, to praise, to serve, to worship, and to glorify his name, even in our own broken and weak ways. We should function as clay jars holding something wonderful, living sacrifices relinquishing ourselves over and over, and lamps on stands, shining regardless of the depth of the darkness around us.
To die for Christ would take tremendous courage, but today, I challenge you to have the courage to LIVE in Jesus’ name. This is my prayer for you today, Peace family; that we will live boldly, love deeply, and become a more and more authentic and beautiful representation of Christ to the world around us.
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