What's On My IPOD

 

Voices

I received an email from fellow blogger Lance, which is raising  the awareness of some of our fellow believers who are suffering, simply for sharing their belief in Christ. The email specifically speaks of two young women,  who have been imprisoned under the charges of anti-government  activists.  They're both unwell and suffering.  We know that believers are persecuted around the world but so many times it just a number or a statistic, much like when we hear on the news of the loss of life from a natural disaster.   We're horrified,  but the loss is hard to fathom, internalize, and understand.  The many faces such as   Marzieh & Maryam's  shown on the PrisonAlert web site, make it more personal. 

When I attended BSF, periodically a question would address being persecuted for our faith.  Our Lord warns us:

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. John 15:18 

  I knew that I was not persecuted for my faith and in fact I am very blessed that the country in which I live provides me the right to practice my faith. This made answering this question very difficult.  The best I could come up with is that believers in our country can be excluded from the group, labeled with various labels such as "Closed minded" or even discriminated against, because of their faith. But to be truly persecuted, is something that I cannot stake a claim.  Along with my freedom of religion comes the recognition that I often times take the right to worship our Lord for granted.  How many times in a day does my mind turn to solving work problems (while not at work) or to focus on something on TV (The History Channel).  When I compare how much time I spend in prayer, Bible study or worship to how much time I spend in other areas, there's no comparison.    I need to remember to continually refocus on Him.

Please remember the martyrs for Christ around the world with your prayers and support.