Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their
life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:25
A tentmaker missionary in Morocco struggled with the issue of dying for
Christ. He shares these words:
Is faith in Christ worth dying for? I quickly saw that if it wasn’t, I had no
business presenting the Gospel to Muslims. You see, when a Muslim receives
Christ, he faces certain persecution and possible death. How can I ask a Muslim
to receive Christ as Lord if I have doubts in my own heart. If Christ
isn’t worth dying for, He isn’t worth living for. On the other hand, if Christ
is worth living and dying for, then we have a Gospel that is of infinite value
to Muslims...
Ahmed came to see me one day, honestly sharing his fears with me about
following Christ. He asked, “What if I go to prison?” This kind of question had
always intimidated me; I wasn’t sure that I could ask someone to be willing to
go to prison when I myself had never gone. Yet now I realized that it was Jesus
who was calling him to take up his cross and follow, not me. This was between
Ahmed and the Lord.
A thirty-two-year-old pastor works in Upper Egypt, an area of intense
persecution for Christians. He runs a day care center, a medical clinic, a
literacy training program as well as caring for the families of those in prison.
He has been beaten twice by Muslim extremists and threatened daily with death.
He knows they are trying to kill him...but he continues to daily bear his
cross.
A leading pastor in Egypt shared about a parishioner who tearfully came for counseling. Young people she had trained at her work were recently promoted to
be her supervisors. She was passed over solely because she was a Christian. The
pastor concluded, “That’s the cross we must bear here in Egypt!”
The essence of these examples is that instead of exercising and asserting my
will, I learn to cooperate with God’s wishes and comply with His will.
RESPONSE: Today I give my will over to God and comply with His will for
me.
PRAYER: Lord, I want to cooperate with Your wishes and desires. Help me
bear my cross for You.