Big And Small Sacrifices

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere.

1 Corinthians 13:3, THE MESSAGE

For more than a decade, North Korea has been the most restrictive nation for Christians to live in. The accounts of persecution from those who have fled the nation are sobering. For instance, when authorities destroyed a home near Pyongyang, they discovered a Bible hidden among the rubble. Inside it was a list of Christians, including a pastor, two assistant pastors, two elders, and twenty other members of the church. All of them were called in for questioning, and the five leaders were told they must deny Christ and pledge their loyalty to Kim Jong Il and his father, Kim Il Sung, or die. Refusing to renounce their faith, they became martyrs. They were forced onto the ground, and a steamroller was driven over them. The report continues, “Fellow parishioners who had been assembled to watch the execution cried, screamed out, or fainted when the men were crushed beneath the steamroller.”^a

This account is a good reminder to us that martyrdom still happens today. While you may never be asked to deny God or be killed, each day you have opportunities to show you are dedicated to Him.

Lord, help me to be sensitive to the ways I can make small sacrifices today.