Ready to Die for Jesus

 I hope there are some things that are so important to us that we would be willing to give our life for them. Of course, the one we think about a lot is serving in the military and being willing to give our life for our country. Then, we would be willing to die for our family members, if it came down to having to protect them from harm. There might be other things on your list, but I want to ask about the most important one for all of us. Would you be willing to die for Jesus? That is the ultimate test of our devotion to our Lord and Savior.

Paul was going back to Jerusalem after his missionary journey. Along the way several believers warned him that they Lord showed them he would be arrested if he went there. However, those warnings did not deter Paul. (Acts 21:13) Paul asked them why they were weeping and breaking his heart with their sadness. He was ready, not only to be bound but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus. I pray that all of us, as believers, would be able to sincerely make that declaration.

Jesus Christ is Lord of all. He left heaven to come to this earth for one reason. He loved us so much, and He knew that the only way for us to have our sins forgiven was for Him to die on the cross for us, shedding His blood as payment for our sins, and rising again to show the Father had accepted His sacrifice. Yes, He died for each of us. He suffered the worst death to pay for our sins. The least we can do is to be willing to die for Him.

Christians around the world are persecuted for their faith in Jesus. They are imprisoned for having Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They have to make the determination that standing up for Jesus is so important that they would be willing to die for Him. We don't face that here in the United States right now, but that day might come. Are you ready to be bound or even to die for the name of Jesus? I believe we will be ready to do that if we have truly trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Acts 24-26.