Life following Jesus is never uncomplicated.
Dare to follow Jesus will eventually end you crossing
someone’s ire. Someone will tell you to stop feeding the homeless or caring too
much for the poor. It has been so from the beginning.
Do you stop caring and feeding because the authorities tell
you or do you engage in civil disobedience? Peter and his fellow followers of
Jesus decided, “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29).
In the first Century, following Jesus seriously will
get you throw into prison and flogged (Acts 5:40). In
Argentina in the 1970s, followers of Jesus were put into prison, tortured,
and some killed because they dared to care for the poor.
Following Jesus will end up putting you crossways with civic
leadership as a 90-year-old
man found a few months ago when he was feeding the homeless in
Florida.
The early church did not leave their punishment complaining
about their treatment instead, rather they departed “rejoicing because they had
been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41).
What are you and I doing today that would make us feel that
the suffering we are experiencing is an honor?
Ronald Friesen © 2105
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