Saturday, September 19, 2009

$3 Worth Of God

I have a subscription to Voice Of The Martyrs magazine(I highly recommend it!). Each month the magazine highlights various stories of Christians throughout the world who are facing persecution because of their faith in Jesus Christ. In the August 2009 issue, the opening article contains a quote that I thought was worth sharing. I am not familiar with the author or the historical context during which it was written, but I think it is relevant to us as Christ-followers today. Especially in this day and age within the American church where we have made comfort an idol. Here it is...

"I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant worker. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. - Wilbur Rees

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In the posts regarding Nigeria there was no mention made of the persecution of Christians that is happening there. Was this something that you encountered? I believe it is primarily taking place in the northern region, according to the VOM map taped to my bathroom mirror (I’m not a copycat- I had it LONG before I started reading this blog :-)
I heard it once said that we must raise our children in such a way that they would be prepared to be martyrs. Can you imagine? That is a sobering but true statement, especially given our current culture of indulging children. (Hebrews 11: 32-40)

And why are they willing to face persecution rather than denounce their LORD? Because they believe that the promises of God are BETTER than life! God help us have the same conviction.

And what are those Biblical promises? He will turn…

Death into resurrection
Thorns into pine trees
Briars into myrtles
Curse into blessing
Sackcloth into joy
Wilderness into pasture
Perishable into imperishable
Weakness into power
Humiliation into glory
Mortality into immortality
Poverty into riches
Mourning into praise
Ashes into beauty
Rocks into pools
And mountains into roads

Annise