I awoke with two men on my mind this morning – one sits as a prisoner in Iran and the other is a husband/father here in the States. The reality of death has haunted both men this week. Both of these brothers happen to be preachers; the Iranian is a pastor and the American is a missionary. Youcef Nadarkhani was given a death sentence ( future martyr’s crown) for the crime of being a Christian in an Islamic nation. Matt Cretzman, a missionary taking the Gospel to Cuba, hit a patch of black ice while driving with his family and, shortly thereafter, was informed that his three-year-old daughter did not survive the wreck that ensued. These two men, along with their wives, march on toward glory, fully committed to remaining steadfast and resolute upon the path God has ordained for them.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” – Psalm 27:14 {ESV}
I’m not planning to write too much this morning because I don’t wish to hijack these two brother’s stories for blog material. Perhaps the best thing I can do is encourage us to look at what discourages us in our faith-journey. What is it that causes you to shrink back from God’s call upon you? Many Christians drop out of the race because someone disappointed them; maybe they were treated unkindly by someone in the church. Did a divorce rock your family, undermining your confidence in God’s goodness? A death? Maybe it was a loss of a job or an illness which wracked your body. The question is, “What caused you to lose your courage and vision? Why did you stop walking closely with Christ and His church?”
Pastor Youcef is 34 years old and is likely going to be executed soon. That wonderful “peace-loving religion” of Islam doesn’t mind cutting off the head of a disciple of Christ for the glory of Allah – Pastor Youcef could not even consider turning his back on the One who means all to him. The Cretzmans will bury on Monday a small body in one of those little caskets that just don’t look right to us. These men and their families are waiting on the Lord and taking daily courage where they can. They march on. They were made resolute by the indwelling Spirit of God. They know with countless others what it means to pay the individual cost so that they might finish their course with joy. Their testimonies serve to make me desire to be a better man, a more faithful Christian, a more determined soldier.
My hope is that you and I will do the same. Start today. Re-start today if necessary. Don’t fail to live in holy resolve that you will honor your Master and courageously pay the price that He establishes for each of us. As followers of Christ, we will meet these men in glory when all the opportunities for counting the cost and paying the price will be concluded. These are Christians of honor and courage. You were made to be the same. I want to live my life in such a way that I will have no problem making eye contact in Heaven with these two men who are sacrificing so very much.
God, grant it to be so.
I cry and pray for my 2 brothers in arms that were killed for the Koran burning.
Blood for blood,eye for eye is all these radical Islamist want.
Only Jesus can penetrate their hearts and replace hate with his love
that the world can not understand.
And I pray to the Lord that he has mercy on their souls these American Soldiers
who gave their lives. And pray for peace and comfort for their parents.
Yes, this happened to me and my family. My sister, who suffered as a small child from severe seizures, awoke one morning and announced to my parents: Jesus appeared to me in a dream and healed me. This immediately started a war in my family. On the one side, my father insisted that she had been healed and therefore could be removed from the powerful anti-seizure drugs that she was taking (but weren’t working). On the other, my mother sided with the doctors, who “welcomed” the good news but advocated a slower process. Our local church, trying to help, pressed the accelerator…not the brake. Yes, my parents divorced.
I blamed the church. I spent the next 20 years absorbing all the worlds wisdom. As I mentioned before, I recently started attending services at Meadow. Funny, but one of the first sermons I heard was about the courage Joshua would need as he lead the Israelites into Canaan. The whole time I thought, you have no idea: I am doing my bit for courage just simply being here!!!
I am the prodigal son: after swearing that I would never again be part of any church, here I am going to services at Meadow. A final note: my sister has NEVER had another seizure.