Do you know what it's like to be persecuted?  I have no idea.  I live in a comfortable house, free to read the Word of God, free to meet with fellow believers, free to say what I want about almost anything.... I can blog to my heart's content, and I don't have to agree with what my government does, either in word or mind.  I complain about having no money..... people are being starved in a stinking hole of a jail cell for Christ.  I complain about a nasty cold when people are being beaten within inches of their lives for preaching the Gospel.  I am a wimp, a weakling, a pathetic excuse for someone who claims that she has been bought with a price.

Pastor Tim is preaching through the Sermon on the Mount.  He made an interesting observation about how first few verses deal with our salvation, and the next several deal with our progressive sanctification.  We aren't going to be willing to be persecuted for righteousness sake if we aren't peacemakers, we won't be peacemakers if we aren't merciful.... etc.  Ok, so then my pastor asks really tough questions like, if you aren't persecuted, why aren't you persecuted.  I live in a country where the worst thing that is going to happen to me is that other people are going to say I am a lunatic or "devisive."  And I still don't meet the criteria for persecution. Probably because I am still way back on "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall recieve mercy"  Thank God that He's the one faithful to complete the work in me, and I am not doing this on my own.   

This Sunday Tim talked about a pastor in India beaten by Hindus for his faithfulness to Christ. And also this girl in Egypt who is only 15 and was kidnapped because of faith.  Will my kids have faith that strong when they are 15?  Do I have faith that deep at 31?  Talk about serious conviction.  If it isn't worth dying for, is it worth living for?