What's Your Level of Commitment?
Be faithful in the small things for you never know when God will require more of you.
As a nation, America has a rich history. This country was founded by men who believed God’s Word, many of whom were ostracized and even persecuted for their roll in founding America. Of the fifty-six men who signed the Declaration of Independence, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. Another had two sons captured.
Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty. At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson's home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on the Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and mill were destroyed. For over a year, he lived in forests and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion.
These men, knowing the consequences of their decision, knew it was better to die in freedom rather than live in bondage. They broke off from England’s tyrannical rule and started their own nation, providing freedom for its citizens.
While our history as a nation can be traced by those who stood for their beliefs, so our Christian heritage can be seen through the lives of men and women who were not afraid to stand up for Christ, even though it meant certain persecution.
Men like John Huss, Hugh Latimer, and Nicholas Ridley were killed for preaching God’s Word and rejecting the heretical teachings of the day. They paid the ultimate sacrifice for belief in God.
I am afraid if we were living in their day, few Christians would be willing to give their lives for God. As we see in our verses, God records that many Christians faced horrible torture and cruel deaths for their faith, yet they held fast to the teachings of God’s Word.
How committed are you to the Bible? What would it take to turn you away from claiming Christ? How can we expect to stand strong in the face of adversity if we cannot even be counted on to read our Bible or attend church faithfully?
God describes these martyrs as those “of whom the world is not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38). You may not be faced with persecution for your faith, but God still desires your faithfulness. Be faithful in the small things today for you never know when God will require more of you.
Source: DITW, January 17, 2009