Canceled

Reading: Genesis 22-23, Acts 8, and Matthew 3

Scripture: Acts 8:1, And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Thoughts: Here in America most Christians don’t truly understand persecution, we post something on social media, and we get people who disagree with us yelling at us and maybe threatening to unfriend us on those platforms. Maybe if your statement particularly inflammatory to someone maybe you will be deplatformed and canceled. There are still many places in this world where persecution is in the form of imprisonment and death for Christians sharing the Gospel just as the early church had. Over the last few chapters the church had grown from the 122 that had remained in the upper room and received the Holy Spirit to thousands by the time Stephen was killed. These thousands of people were going out in every direction, every place they came to they shared the Gospel. Persecution can cause hardship during it, but it will cause our faith to grow and along with the church. 

Prayer: Lord God, you are so wonderful you use all things together for those who are yours, the persecution and attacks upon your church only make us stronger and spread your love more. I thank you for your love and grace that you pour out on us every day. I thank you for the refining your are doing in my life to mold me into the man you have called me to be. I thank you for the joy and trials of family. I thank you for those in my life the point me to you and lead me. I ask that my eyes be opened to true persecution and to walk in your love and strength when it comes to me. I lift up those who are in persecution now give them the strength to endure and overcome in Jesus name.