September is the month for my church district’s ladies retreat. I’ve had a few different roles over the years. For the last couple I’ve been back to just participant. In 2017, the first year of Listen When He Speaks, I coordinated the written devotionals for the participant booklet. I also published the devotionals for the weekend here on Fruit of Brokenness, and extended the weekend’s theme to Listen When He Speaks.
Throughout the history of Christianity, faith has led people to take unpopular stands, with varying levels of risk. Scripture even tells us to expect it… and find joy in it. Personally, I’m terrified of the thought of persecution. I can’t quite wrap my head around what Afghani Christians have barreling toward them, or the threat Nigerian Christians have been constantly under for years. Afghanistan and Nigeria are just two places where professing Christ can get you killed, and, worse in my mind than a quick death, tortured. And it’s not just yourself you put at risk, it’s everyone you care about, including your children.
The Bible tells us that God will make worthwhile all that His children suffer. All tears will be wiped away. All darkness and pain obliterated in the glory of eternity with Him. He promises to be with His followers as they suffer in this life. And He promises to give words to the faithful who are put in a place to answer those with the power to harm them.
I don’t want to be in that position. I know I’m a coward. I want danger to stay far from me, and from those I love.
But we don’t get to choose when persecution comes to our door. Our responsibility is to always live faithfully. When it’s hard, and when it’s so easy we take it for granted and live lesser lives than we could simply because nothing pushes us to feel the need to.
We’ll be reading the same list as that September. I try to not repeat any passage within a calendar year. I always manage to slip up somewhere, but it looks like this list stands exactly as it was.
Click here to check out the 2017 You Make Me Bold blog series… Bold isn’t always running out to battle Goliath; sometimes it’s running away from Potiphar’s wife… Sometimes bold is accepting grace… Sometimes bold is being willing to listen… Sometimes bold is calling out to God from an ugly kitchen floor… What does your bold look like?
Clicking the list image below will open the PDF.
