“Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:36-40(NKJV)
This weekend we are celebrating the Independence of the USA. Parties, fireworks, picnics, and parades are symbols of that freedom. I am afraid we take it too lightly as we do the heritage of our Christian faith. We fail to remember what our forefathers suffered to make sure we have the blessing of freedom we have today. Today is a day of pleasure seeking and me, me, me. It is a matter of what I want, what will benefit me, and getting what “I deserve” that motivates many people (maybe most people).
As I have been reading and studying the sacrifices made by early Christians and their treatment at the hands of anti-christian leaders and society I have wondered if most Christians today (especially in America) could hold a candle to our godly ancestors. Thousands of them gave their lives for a Faith they believed in and many more for the birth of the nation whose motto is “In God we trust.”
Today many people give up their “faith” if they are ridiculed or just talked about, or don’t get their way when things are done. Our Christian forefathers gave up their lives by the thousands just for saying “I am a Christian.” The inhuman torture they endured, without so much as a word or tear, could not sway their faith in God and their death was considered a victory over the “crooked serpent.” I asked myself the question “Could I die with that much trust and ignore the afflictions involved?” Could you?