April 11, 2017 - Word of the Day

​THE WORD FOR TODAY
 
Acts 7-9 (Click to Read Today’s Word at Biblegateway.com)
 
Truth for Today 
 
Acts 8:3  3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.  
 
Life isn’t always easy for those who believe in Jesus.
 
In recent days I have been very interested in the plight of believers around the world.  Here in America we have it really easy.  We don’t suffer for the sake of the Word.  Sure we may face criticism and such.  But we don’t face the struggles of believers in the Arab world.  In many of these places the Church has to meet secretly because of safety concerns.
 
From the beginning God’s Church has known hardship and pain.  In Acts 8 Saul of Tarsus was a powerful instrument for pain for believers.  His job…and he was good at it…was to make havoc in the Church.  Believers were dragged to prison because of their faith.  God’s Church has a rich heritage of enduring and growing through hardship.
 
Are believers in America ready to suffer hardship for their faith?  It’s a legitimate question.  In America we demand our freedom.  Lawyers defend our freedom.  They should.  However we must be willing to suffer hardship for the sake of Christ.  Not everyone is going like our message.  In fact if the message gets to close you can be sure there will howls of outrage.  The message of Christ isn’t always popular.  There may be a day…drawing near in fact…when parts of the Christian message become illegal.  What will believer do in that face of hardship because of their faith?
 
Life isn’t always easy for those who believe in Jesus.
 
Father, strengthen me for the hour of trouble…In Jesus Name…Amen!!!
 
Blessings
Bro. William