"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10
This Sunday, we'll sit on our comfy pews in our heated sanctuaries and worship without fear of being persecuted for our faith. Sadly, though, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe will not be doing the same. They'll wait until they have the cover of darkness to meet together for worship, for their lives are at risk simply because they're believers. I imagine that when they meet for worship, they do not spend time complaining about the service being too long or too short or about the music being too loud or the preacher taking too long. No, I imagine that their time of worship is precious and focused on the One that they have met to worship. So, this Sunday on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, let's remember these fellow believers and pray for God's hand of protection and blessing to be on them. Let's also remember when we are worshiping that HE is the only One we should focus on--not the distractions that Satan sends our way---because anything other than that isn't worship, is it?
"Religion that God accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27
This Sunday is also Orphan Sunday when the church comes together with one voice and one purpose: to pray for the millions of children around the world that are in need of forever families. There are 147 million orphans worldwide, and an estimated 100,000 of those children are here in America! I truly believe this breaks God's heart. His Word is very clear on defending the cause of the fatherless and looking after the orphan. It's easy to be overwhelmed by those numbers, but don't be--pray for how God wants to use you to reach these children and meet a need--one child, one need at a time. Pray for these children, for their caregivers, and for the families that are stepping forward to answer the call of adoption.
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