Risk
I have several items on display in my office. Diplomas from Shorter College and two seminaries. My ordination certificate. Pictures of family. And then there are plaques and pictures that have been given to me. Some have Bible verses, one has a prayer, and one speaks of the work that is done in a pastor’s study.
Two items on the wall hold a special place in my heart. The first is a cross stitch that my wife did for me more than 40 years ago. It is the picture of an open Bible with the cross and a world globe laying across. It has the date of my ordination stitched at the bottom. It is a reminder that the job of a pastor must be guided by the Bible, latched to the cross, and is for the people of the world, wherever I find myself.
The second picture is a painting of Jesus kneeling between three sheep. There are flowers and trees in the background. The painting, as best I know, was an original. It is not the finest work of art I have ever seen. But the origin of the painting makes it special to me.
I was the pastor for a young lady who was a missionary in a country where following Jesus is a dangerous adventure. She served as a teacher and a friend to women in this country, and the painting was done by a lady who put her trust in Christ. That, in and of itself, was a crime, and sometimes punishable by execution. But for this young woman, it was worth the risk. Jesus had changed her life, and she was committed to follow Him.
Every time I look at the painting I am reminded that there are believers around the world who risk their lives every day for their faith, and I am reminded to pray for them. I thank God for them. I admire them. I want to be as faithful as they are.
Occasionally in the USA someone says something derogatory about Christians and our faith. We are often quick to be offended by such. I want to remember that this is only a mild thing. We have brothers and sisters who face much more than we do, and I want to pray for them. I hope you will join me in doing just that.
