DAY 174

RESPONDING

Esther 9 & 10 and Acts 7

The last two chapters of Esther are almost a post script. We knew yesterday the outcome would be favorable, and today we read of the inauguration of the Feast of Purim.

In the Acts of the Apostles we continue reading about Stephen. Today I am going to comment on ALL of chapter 7. The reason is we are about to turn into the Book of Job and I want the space to be able to comment on Job in the next two coming days.

Turning to Stephen we see in the first 53 verses the outline of the story of God acting in the world…a story you have already read! It is an interesting thumbnail sketch of what you and I have been intentionally reading. The leaders when they hear this story are “enraged and grind their teeth at him!” Their reaction will result in Stephen being stoned, and in a dramatic scene we read of Stephen being comforted by seeing into the heavens.

What do you make of martyrdom? Maybe you think it is powerful witness for what a person believes, but you prefer others display it. Maybe you recall the very true phrase “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” by Tertullian. Being presented with the story of a martyr leads me to ask, “How far will I go for God – for Jesus?” Today in the world Christians are dying each and every day for their faith. A group, The Voice of the Martyrs, estimates that more Christians were killed for their faith in the 20^th century, then in the prior 19 centuries all combined.

Short of martyrdom is persecution. Today there are many forms of persecution. Maybe your family will ostracize you. Maybe your friends or co-workers will. Today young people in schools face open ridicule by their teachers. I have spent time with many a troubled and distraught student in my office as they retold the prejudice they experienced. Today I speak with Priests and Pastors who are shocked by their congregation’s hostility to the Gospel. There is a growing tone of public derision that is widely accepted when it is directed against Christians.

What would you do? What have you done, or what will you do? It would be easy to respond in kind. Remember our Lords example. He challenged the religious leaders of the day with his intellect. He did not stoop to their antics. Further, by his behavior many, who were once opposing the Gospel, were won over to it. May our response lead to similar results…for in the story today there was a young man Saul collecting coats who was won over.