Act

Most of us would look at the picture to the left and think, what a nice looking couple. A good-looking groom and his beautiful bride. It's hard to believe that the woman is a criminal. Yet she is currently serving time in prison awaiting her execution.

Execution? "What did she do? Kill somebody?" we ask ourselves? No. Well, it must have been pretty serious to warrant the death penalty. It must have been something major. Maybe she was a spy and betrayed her country. Treason is punishable by death here in the U.S. Maybe it was that. Nope. She is not from this country, but her husband is. This beautiful young woman, a mother of two, has been sentenced to die because she is a Christian and refuses to renounce her faith. You can read the full story by clicking on the following link.

Sudanese Woman Sentenced To Death

One of the things we tend to do as Americans is to let things slide, to not get involved. We procrastinate. We put things off. When things don't actually affect us directly we tend to shrug them off with an "Oh, well" or a "Oh, that's too bad" and we never really do anything about it. We simply refuse to act. That's sad.

We have laws against inaction in this country. They are known as "Good Samaritan" laws. That in itself is sad. We have laws forcing us to do what we should be doing anyway? Why do we need a law for that? Well, it's because we often refuse to act when a particular situation warrants action. Good Samaritan laws basically say that, if you see someone being beaten up for example, and you do nothing about it, there is a price to pay. I would submit to you this morning that the price we pay for our inaction is also measured in heaven, not just here on earth.

"5 I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. 6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth." - Isaiah 63:5

It doesn't take much effort to help someone. It doesn't take much time. Consider reaching out and making a difference in someone's life. The "Christian majority" in this country has been silent for too long. It's time we did something for our Lord and Savior. Please, won't you take five minutes and send your congressman an e-mail. Here are some links to make it easy.

Find Your Senators and Representatives

You might need the additional four digits on your zip code (I did). You can find that here:

Look Up A Zip Code

Thank you!!

Here's a few encouraging verses to help us get off our butts.

"14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." - James 2:14-17

"6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury." - Romans 6:6-8

After I wrote the post above I read the article below. It appears that if we DO take action we WILL be heard.

US "fully engaged" in case of Sudanese woman sentenced to die for Christian faith

Our God is a great God. We who call ourselves His children are also soldiers called upon to fight for Him. Let's sound the trumpet and join in the battle today!

Memorial

As I sit here this morning on this Memorial Day, a day set aside for remembering those who have given their lives defending our country, I can't help but think of the families of those soldiers. How they must weep when they see us forget to mourn for the family members who have died. Instead we have picnics, we go fishing, we mow the lawn.

Where I live the white bass are running on the Wolf River. There will be places where one could easily walk across the river by stepping from boat to boat. For many Memorial Day has become simply a day off from work rather than a day of remembrance. Our focus on what this day is all about has become lost.

I am guilty of this myself. I enjoy the fact that I don't have to go in to work today instead of those who worked 24/7 defending our freedom. I like sleeping in rather than remembering those who slept in foxholes. I enjoy eating brats, hot dogs and hamburgers, hot off the grille rather than those who ate cold C-rations in a damp, dark jungle as the enemy tried to kill them.

Yet the soldier we are supposed to be honoring today willingly gave their lives as a sacrifice for us. And we thanked them by spitting in their faces when they returned from war (Vietnam).

The similarities between the selfless soldiers who gave their lives and our Lord Jesus are many. They would rather not have died yet they did so. How many soldiers, in desperate situations, asked to "have this cup pass from me" but sacrificed themselves on our behalf. How appropriate it is that the graves of our fallen soldiers are marked with a white cross.

What better day to remember not only those who died defending our freedom but those "soldiers" who died defending our faith.

I encourage you today to attend a Memorial Day service where you are. Spend some time standing over the grave of an unknown soldier. And spend some time praying, giving thanks for the martyrs who were killed simply because of their faith. Our soldiers AND our martyrs should be honored, not only on THIS day, but every day, for the sacrifice they made . . . defending our country or for refusing to deny their faith and our King.

Pray . . . give them honor . . . and may their sacrifice never be lost us we who remain.

"12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Prayers for the Fallen Facebook Page

Voice of The Martyrs Website

Memorial

Memorial. The 1828 Dictionary offers this definition of the word.

Memorial, n. That which preserves the memory of something; any thing that serves to keep in memory. A monument is a memorial of a deceased person, or of an event. The Lord's supper is a memorial of the death and sufferings of Christ.

I love that definition. "That which preserves the memory of something." Hmm.

Today in this country we are celebrating Memorial Day - a day on which we "preserve the memory" of those who have died in the course of defending our country. We honor their memory with parades, with graveside ceremonies in cemeteries. We honor the memories of the fallen with our thanks and with our praise for their sacrifice . . . their ULTIMATE sacrifice.

Sacrifice. What have WE sacrificed? Our military has sacrificed much but what have WE presonally sacrificed? Hmm.

You know, for many in this country, today is just a day off from work. It's a day to party in a park someplace. A barbecue. A cooler full of beer. Maybe a softball game or a rummage sale. That's sad. Those things are NOT what this day is supposed to be about. Today should be about "preserving the memory" of those who have fallen.

I encourage you to visit a veterans memorial service today where you live. Honor those who have given their lives in battle. In my opinion, there could NEVER be enough memorials for the soldiers who gave it all while defending our rights. Especially our right to freedom OF religion, not FROM religion.

U.S. Military Chaplain, William T. Cummings once said in a field sermon during the 1942 Battle of Bataan, "There are no atheists in foxholes." Hmm.

Have you ever been in a battle, defending your faith? Many have died defending our country, but how many of us would die defending OUR faith? Is your faith that important that you would die defending it? It should be. I hope that I would be counted in that number.

Would you like to read some inspirational stories of those who have died for their faith. Read this book: Foxe's Book of Martyrs

To read more on-line about those who have martyred for their faith visit the Voice of the Martyrs web site.

On this day when we honor those who have died defending our country, let us also honor those who have died defending our right to worship our God. May we also remember the sacrifice HE made for us . . . on this day of remembering sacrifices. In His name, Amen.

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." - Jesus, John 15:13