ready to sacrifice~

This was a post I wrote for www.livesharp.org (go check it out! :)) a while ago, but I thought I'd re-share it on here.

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Recently, as I have been reading through “Tortured for Christ” by Richard Wurmbrand (founder of Voice of the Martyrs), I have become greatly convicted about how I live my life. All around the world, there are people giving their very lives to spread the Gospel, like Jesus commanded, and then here we are.
Because persecution (physical, at least) is “dormant” here in America, we usually give little thought to what is going on in other parts of the world.

We are content to live our comfortable lives going about our own business – sitting in our warm houses, spending time on our computers, texting friends, and going to church just because it’s routine. But what if suddenly, America turned Communist? What if soldiers suddenly ransacked our houses for Bibles, burned our churches to the ground, and threw us in prison? Would we be ready? Ready to sacrifice anything, even our lives for the sake of the Gospel?
We need to be ready now. We must study the Word. Memorize Scripture. Pray with all our soul and might. Witness. There are people across the world, giving their all for the sake of Christ. How much more, we Americans, who have freedom of speech, actions, and religion, should spread the Word! I’m preaching to myself, someone who has no boldness to go out of my way to give the Gospel to a lost soul. It very well may be that you readers are the same. This is all the more reason to read the Word of God and spend time with the Lord. The more we know Christ, the more we love Him, and will give anything to show others the way to Him, “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him” (Eph. 3:12). He is our boldness.

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of a evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

To infinity and beyond~
~Bethany
贝萨妮