Obedience is costly...

"An Afghan man threatened with execution because he converted from Islam to Christianity is expected 'to be released in the coming days,' an official says." - CNN Breaking News email

We've been going through Experiencing God at work these past 7 1/2 weeks and it has been nothing short of incredible. This week has been about adjusting your life to God after He has called you to do something. Amazing. My junior and senior years in high school I was working toward applying to the United States Naval Academy. There was nothing that I wanted more than to be a Navy pilot and to one day pilot the space shuttle. In my mind, God put that desire in my heart so I thought that He wanted me at the Naval Academy. Unfortunately, in my early days as a Christian, I had to learn the hard way that we don't make plans and then invite God in. That's not how He works.

However, God IS working. As we spend time with Him in prayer and Bible study, He guides us to follow Him and work with Him. The thing that got me with today's lesson though were the many challenges he faced with the Jews and the Gentiles and showing them that Jesus was the Christ... his life was lived at many costs. He was put in prison, he was flogged, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, he went hungry, etc (II Corinthians 11:22-33) all for the name of Jesus. What have I done that has put myself out there in proclaiming that same name? Nothing.

Then, this afternoon I get the CNN Breaking News about this man, Abdul Rahman, who is going to be put to death because he has rejected Islam. I have lived in another country in a Muslim neighborhood and I know that it is a serious thing when a Muslim becomes a believer. Families will disown their family members if they become followers of Christ. From CNN: "Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die," said cleric Abdul Raoulf, who is considered a moderate and was jailed three times for opposing the Taliban before the hard-line regime was ousted in 2001.

Why should I be able to turn around in my chair at my desk and talk to my coworkers all day about Jesus but this man can't even say that he is a Christian?? Granted, I work in a Christian ministry, but even when I worked at Delta in Atlanta, I could talk to whomever about Christ and not be threatened with my life! However, God is still glorified through this man whose life is at risk because Abdul is putting the living God above his own life.