January 31, 2013 - Acts 28:16

            “When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.”  Acts 28:16.

            Previous to his arrival in Rome, Paul spent several months under arrest and was carried off to Rome like a chained criminal.  Even in Rome, he was under house arrest, with a guard assigned to watch over him.  Paul was under arrest because of his belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and his belief in the lordship of Christ – that Jesus was God’s only Son and was Lord over all creation.  In those days and in that part of the world, these were life and death issues.  And Paul was eventually martyred because of that belief.  Even in today’s world, people are being arrested, as well as being martyred, for their faith in Jesus as their Lord.  In fact, more believers in Jesus Christ were martyred in the last one hundred years than in the previous nineteen centuries combined!

            It is difficult for me to imagine being martyred or even being arrested and put in jail because of my belief in Jesus.  And to be tried, convicted, and sentenced to death is something that I cannot fully grasp.  But what if I lived my life as if I had nothing to lose?  It was Paul who wrote, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He stated this in his letter to the believers in Philippi while he was imprisoned in Rome.  Paul sought to bring glory to God in Christ, in and through his body, whether in life or in death.  It didn’t matter that he was under arrest.  He still proclaimed Jesus no matter his circumstances.  The challenge for me, today, is whether I am living my life as if I have nothing to lose.  To live is Christ, and to die is gain.  It’s a win-win!

            Questions: If being a Christian was illegal, would there be enough evidence to imprison you?  What does it look like to live your life as if you have nothing to lose?  How are you doing with that?

            Prayer: Father, You know my desire to live that sold-out life for You, yet You know the personal struggles that I wrestle with that are at war with being sold out.  Please strengthen me to make conscious choices to follow You, no matter the cost.  Amen.