People spend a lot of time trying to win. Whether's it's a win from a favorite sports team, or trying to make a winning financial deal, or just trying to getting ahead in life, people want to win and work hard to do so. But sometimes winning is a matter of life and death.
This past weekend the mailman brought a new copy of The Lutheran Witness, our denomination's magazine that's been in print 133 years. This month's edition is all about the persecution of Christians around the world. One of its articles quoted the "World Watch List" as saying that of the 196 world nations, Christians are persecuted moderately to extremely in 39 of them. That list is growing, including in some supposedly western Christian nations.
Persecution of Christians takes several forms, but all seek either to deny one's identity as a Christian or to discredit the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Despite the fact that over two billion people in the world today claim to be Christians, tens of millions have targets on their backs from the enemies of Jesus Christ. It almost seems at as if Christians are losing ground now.
But Jesus Christ and His Holy Christian Church will not be defeated or overcome. We have God's promise on this. St. Paul tells us in Romans 8:31, 37, "If God is for us, who can be against us? ... In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
Since all persecution of Christians is against Jesus, so we His followers should expect it will come to us also. Jesus said in Matthew 10:24, "A servant is not above his Master." He was persecuted for us first, and and so will we. Because He was persecuted unto death, we are given eternal life when we trust Him in faith.
Hatred for Jesus must be countered, not with anger and bitterness, but with love and forgiveness, no matter how hard that may be. Only Christ Himself can give us strength to forgive our enemies. We take courage knowing Jesus is faithful and will keep us as His own.
Remember, with faith in Jesus,
We are more than winners through Him who loved us.
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