Daily Devotional for Saturday April 12, 2003

Having the passion of the suicide bomber

( 1 Peter 2:12 )

Having the passion of the suicide bomber. One of the undeniable facts about those who are committing these horrible suicide bombings in Israel and elsewhere, is their total commitment to what they believe. It is misguided and horribly wrong what they do, but I can only pray today that those who claim to have their faith in Christ would be JUST as passionate and JUST as committed to the cause of Christ. Of course these people represent an extreme element of what they believe, but the fact is, they are SO committed to their cause, SO committed to their belief, that they are willing to give their very lives for it. My question for you today is simply this. Are you as committed to your faith in Christ to give your very life for Him, if that is what you are asked to do?

In the United States, we have had the luxury of being very comfortable in our faith. We worship in freedom, not having to worry about outside interferences from those who do not agree with the message of our Lord. Even today, there are MANY places on this earth that this is NOT the case. We have many who get this Devotional every day in parts of the world where you could literally be put to death for proclaiming faith in Christ.

I have often wondered what would happen if one Sunday morning a group of soldiers with machine guns came into a church, lined the people up, and simply said, "anyone who wants to denounce Christ can go home, the rest of you will be killed." I really wonder how many would stand and claim Christ with their last breath. Those students of church history understand that this has been the choice many of God's people have had to make since the very first church. Are we as passionate about our faith today, to literally give our lives for it?

Today's Devotional is very short on purpose. I don't want you to think about anything else today but this one question. If I was asked to give my life for Christ, would I?

I love you and care about you very much. The FACT is, if your answer is yes, then that means you are willing to do whatever God is calling you to do, whatever God is asking you to do, to further His Kingdom here on earth. We are clearly living in the last days as Jesus described in Matthew 24 and Paul spoke of in 2 Timothy 3 and 2 Peter 3. The challenge today is are you willing to literally give your life if you had to, to share the hope and love of Christ with this lost and sin filled world?

God is asking you today to surrender your life to Him, so that He can use you to reach others with the promise of everlasting life. Are you willing to give your life to Him? Are you wiling to do all that He is asking you to do to see others come into the everlasting knowledge of Jesus Christ? ***Only a very few will ever be asked to actually die for the Lord, but ALL of God's children are asked daily to surrender their lives to Him so that He can use you for His plan and purpose.

The fact is, the suicide bombers are daily giving their life for the lost cause that they have bought into. My challenge to you today is this. ARE YOU WILLING TO GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR CHRIST? The one thing that we know is that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. It is ONLY through Him that man comes to know everlasting life. Are you willing to give your life to proclaim THAT message? I am, and I pray today that you are too.

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller