Martyrdom

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

Imagine finally finding the love of your life, the one of your absolute dreams! The one whom you love more than words can say and thoughts can express! Your heart almost bursts from the immense love and deep emotion you have for this person.

Then, during your engagement courtship, your beloved must complete a university degree across country, leaving the two of you separated for awhile. You have vowed to your loved one, with all your heart, mind, and soul, your continued love, faithfulness, commitment, and fidelity. All you can think about during your separation is how wonderful it will be to be reunited; to finally be together once again. You are consumed by your love and can’t wait for the day when you will finally get married, never to separate again.

While away at university, some fellow students attempt to sway you from your vow, desire, and commitment to the one you deeply love, cherish, and adore. I call them “Jonadabs,“ because they are like the evil man, Jonadab, who gave wicked advise to King David's son, Amnon, in 2 Samuel 13:3. But, because of your deeply rooted love, you will not be moved! You will not be persuaded to bow to them, and forsake your dearest, deepest, loved one.

Then, one day, these Jonadabs play an evil prank on you. They get you alone and tell you, “If you do not speak evil of your loved one, and deny and turn your back on your so-called beloved, and follow our ways, then we will kill you!” Yet, the depth of your love, your relationship, and commitment to your loved one is very great! You will not, and cannot deny, or turn your back on the one you love more than life itself. In fact, you would rather die than forsake your love!

I realize this fictitious story is an inadequate scenario of what we might or might not do if faced with having to deny Jesus Christ, but I think the Hall of Famers, in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, could relate to this story. They lived and died for a much greater love--the Lover of their souls, Jesus Christ!

It is my prayer and deepest desire that if, or when, it should ever come to choosing to stand for my faith, love, and commitment to Jesus Christ, and could even face the valley of the shadow of death because of it, that I too, like the Hebrews chapter 11 verse 10 Hall of Fame believers would remain loyal. That my heart, soul, mind, and eyes would be steadfastly fixed upon Jesus Christ, even if it meant earthly death. I want to look forward to that city, which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God. And to bolster my faith, I will have memorized and stored away in my heart Psalm 56:3-4, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."

It seems God is slowly awakening his children to the realization that we may truly have to live as He did when on this earth: rejected, misunderstood, scorned, hated, ridiculed, persecuted, forsaken, and possibly even face dying for our faith. But is not our Savior and Lord worthy of this?

Teach children to choose Jesus!

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