Accused of Apathy?

As I read through this Extreme Devotion this morning, I wanted to share it with you in preparation for our prayer requests, which I will post next, and also let you know that this line really made me think - "Those who persecute Christians cannot be accused of apathy." Great question isn't it?  Are you apathetic about your relationship with Jesus?  How about reading the Bible or praying, or serving Him passionately?  Join me in asking the Lord for a renewed passion and love for Him and His word, because after all, Christians are the only ones who follow a Living, Risen Savior and Lord!

Juan was sentenced to serve fifteen years in the Miguel Castro prison for his terrorist activities. Juan understood how terrorists think. He was a militiaman for the Communist group known as the “Shining Path.” His greatest commission was teaching others how to kill and destroy. He was a high-ranking official and an expert in dynamite, weapons, and annihilation. His job gave him a sense of inspiration and destiny.

Juan continued his work even in prison. As he worked to enlist a young man named Fernando into the militia, he found that many of his Marxist ideas were not working on him. In turn, Fernando asked Juan a penetrating question. “If you died tonight, my friend, where would you spend eternity?”

Juan had seen or orchestrated the countless deaths of others, but he had never considered his own death. Fernando’s question began to bother him. Fernando continued to speak with him each day about the love of Christ and his sacrifice. Finally, Juan became a believer.

Fernando encouraged the new disciple: “As you gave your life to the revolution, today give it to Christ your Lord.”

Eventually, Juan pastored a flock in prison. In his past, he enlisted people in the militia school; in prison he organized Sunday school. His mission of death changed to helping others find eternal life.

People’s passions give them a sense of inspiration and destiny. Some people have a passion for their job. Others are passionate about their families. Still others are passionate about causes that directly oppose the cause of Christ. Those who persecute Christians cannot be accused of apathy. Their relentless determination would almost be admirable were it not misdirected. God is in the business of exchanging old lives for new ones, however. With the same passion he once felt for Marxism, Juan began to enlist others for Christ. God took his perverse passion and turned it into a passion for Christ. Pray for God to transform anything that competes for your spiritual devotion. Ask him for a burning desire to further his kingdom.