What would you die for?

What would you die for? That's a good question isn't it? I heard that question asked earlier today. It was a 'man-on-the-street' kind of thing - the man with the mic was wandering around asking people of all races, nationalities, sexes and ages the question, "What would you die for?" There were lots of different answers - things like family, my country, a friend, to save someone else's life and some even said 'nothing'.

So the question remains, what would you die for? I'd certainly die for my wife or kids. But what about my faith – would I die for what I believe? Jesus died for me, how about me for him? We often hear stories of those who have died for their faith. We hear of those who’ve been persecuted and refused to give in or even bend, dying instead. They were given the choice to deny Jesus and live or cling to Christ and die – many of them chose death. I’ve heard stories of missionaries in the most remote parts of the world who have given, not just their own life, but the life of family members as well in the name of Jesus Christ. We hear those stories and we hope we are never faced with that situation – I certainly hope I’m never faced with that decision. Or maybe we assume it will never come to that in our own life – not here – not in the United States – it can’t happen to us.

Some of the greatest growth that Christianity has ever seen has come in the midst of brutal persecution. It is during those difficult and trying times that those with a ‘less-than-genuine-faith’ are culled from the flock and only the ‘true sheep’ remain. It’s sad, and more than a little scary, to think that it takes the threat of violence, the loss of life and the oppression of religious freedom in order to make that kind of difference. It’s one thing to sport a Christian t-shirt in the heart of the Bible belt but with a gun to your head, your life on the line and your belief in question, would you choose life or would you choose Jesus?

This whole blog makes me a little uneasy – just thinking about this makes me feel a touch uncomfortable. This isn’t a dissertation or a charge to the masses – it’s just a question for each of us to ponder – what would you die for? How about Jesus?