AUG 2

Acts 21:8-13
Memorise Acts 20:24
“Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

On April 20th 1999, two High School boys armed with shotguns and rifles burst into Columbine High School with the intent of shooting and killing their fellow schoolmates. One of the first persons they targeted was 17 year old Rachel Joy Scott. She was a devout Christian and active in church, and known to the teenage shooters. It was reported that one of the gunmen, after having first shot Rachel in the leg, picked her up by the hair and asked her if she still believed in God. Her simple reply was ‘you know I do.’ In response, he shot her in the head at point-blank range and killed her.

Going back about 1850 years, there was a man named Polycarp, bishop of the church in Smyrna. He too was a devout Christian, possibly the disciple of John the Apostle himself. In A.D. 156, at the age of 86, he was arrested by the wicked Roman rulers for his faith, and was asked to swear to Caesar as Lord and revile Christ. He answered, “Fourscore and six years have I been His servant, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” As a result, he was burnt at the stake, whilst thanking God for the privilege of being an acceptable sacrifice unto God.

We go back another 100 years, to about A.D. 50-60, and we read of the Apostle Paul. He is a fine example of a man who was fully willing to risk his life for the name of His Lord. Acts 15:26 gives a glowing testimony of the dedication that Paul and Barnabas had towards the work of the Lord, for they were described as “men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”. They were men fully submitted to the will of God in their lives, and were willing to sacrifice all for Him. Acts 21:13 records for us the brave words of Paul, which he said when people tried to dissuade him from going to Rome, knowing that he would be arrested and possibly killed. He told them, “For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus”.

So we see, from just glimpses through church history, that indeed the name of our Lord is certainly one that is worth dying for, and many faithful men and women, even youths our age, have died for it. If you were placed in similar circumstances, would you be willing to do the same?

Thought: Am I willing to suffer for the name of God?
Prayer: Lord, help me to love Your name so much that I am willing to die for it.