“Blessed are those who are persecuted…” Mt. 5.10

Zakaria Hussein Omar, Jama Muktar (17 years old) and Juma Nuradin Kamil were all decapitated because they were Christians.  (Read the story here)

Unfortunately, stories like these are not unusual.  Jesus told his disciples to expect adversity.  He even went so far as to say, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first…No servant is greater than his master.  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.”  Mt. 15.18ff

Let us pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who live in fear because of their faith.

Let us prepare.  I hope I’m wrong but I believe that this kind of persecution is coming to America within our lifetime.  I’m not talking about stockpiling weapons and food so that we can hunker down.  Quite the opposite.  Jesus called us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute. (Mt. 5.44)

Are we ready to love lavishly?