James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. --NIV In the name of the One Who promised us the crown of life, amen.
It is hard for us who live in the United States to imagine that anyone anywhere might be put to death for his faith. But this is a reality even in our day. There are a number of places in the world where Christians are still persecuted to the point of death. And, lest we think that we are not persecuted, we should remember that our children are often forbidden to pray or read their Bibles in school even on their own time. The comic strip “B.C.” was dropped from a number of newspapers because of its Christian message. There are repeated attempts to pass laws that would prohibit us from preaching God’s Law against certain pet sins of our day. Owners of apartments are forbidden to discriminate against immoral life styles.
Face it, we are persecuted even in our own country. At times it can seem like it would be worth caving in to the pressure just to have a little peace. But then we would lose the crown of life, and that would be a great loss indeed. No, the persecution that we endure in this life, even death, is nothing compared to the life of happiness that is ours in Christ Jesus. The persecution is nothing compared to the crown of life because the crown of life is eternal. Amen
Prayer: Lord, hold the crown of life before our eyes so that we always value our faith. We ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Copyright 2001 Reformation Lutheran Church http://ReformationChurch.org