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Would you die for Christ?

In Mt 10:16-23, Jesus warns that we will be hated for believing in Him. He says that we will be brought to trial, flogged and may even lose our lives. It is easy to think that this is something of the distant past, but it is going on today in countries like Somalia, Yemen and evenIndia.

As believers we are called to love Christ above all else, even our life on this earth. I’m fascinated by St. Therese of Lisieux because she was the epitome of this idea. She wanted to suffer for Christ and prayed that she would be a martyr for Him.

Prayed to be a martyr. Throughout her writings and the biographies that have been written about her she shows from an early age that the yearned to die so that she could be closer to God.

St. Therese longed to be a saint, but she says in her autobiography, “Unfortunately when I have compared myself with the saints, I have always found that there is the same difference between the saints and me as there is between a mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds and a humble grain of sand trodden underfoot by passers-by.” Looking at her belief, her passion for God and her prayer to die for him, I’m not even a spec of dust compared to the grain of sand.

We are blessed to live in a country where we can write about our love for God, where we can go to church weekly or even daily, and where we don’t have to worry about being abducted and put on trial simply because of our faith.

But would you? Would you even offer yourself up to Him in prayer and ask to be a martyr for Him? I must admit that even the thought terrifies me. I’m not ready to say a prayer like that, and I’m not sure that I ever will be. I can only hope that God uses my life to reach others and bring them closer to Him and that if I am ever in a life and death situation for my faith that I will have the strength and courage to choose faith.

What about you? Would you offer your life for Him? Would you even be able to pray to ask God to be a martyr for Him? Have you ever been in a situation where you suffered due to your faith?

For more information: Daily Bread Radio has a great meditation on this topic today. There is also a website dedicated to getting the word out about people who are dying for their faith in today’s world.