Cost of Commitment

The beautiful picture above portrays a great architecture of the Roman Empire, which was known, as amphitheatre. It is similar to a stadium in our modern context. It has about 50,000 marble seats for people to sit on and standing room for almost the same amount of people. And the spectators shouted there, as we do today at a football match. However, they were not to see men kicking a ball, but to watch Christian prisoners who have be arrested for their faith in Jesus Christ (both men and women) made to face wild beast – lions, bulls, bears, panthers which have been hungered for many weeks. The crowd cheers and shouts as the wild beast attacks and tears apart the flesh of these faithful followers of Christ. Some were even burned as human torch to light up the amphitheatre. That was the cost of commitment for these believers. They were willing to lay their lives for what they have believed in – Jesus Christ. Many Christians were martyred in the early church in such a horrible and uncivilized manner. The many who died, did not count it a loss to die for their faith. In fact, they felt that their determination to follow Christ even at the point of death is an assurance of eternal life that no man can take away from them.
Even today, as we live in a civilized and sophisticated world, there are many out there still suffering persecution for what they believe in. Christians in many part of the world still experience different forms of oppressions and persecution, some in socio-economic sense and others in psychical terms. Whatever form of tribulation that this Christians face, we should always be reminded that there is always a cost for commitment. Many a times we fail to acknowledge this reality in life because we live in our own comfort zones, a peaceful nation with prosperity, a great freedom to practice what we belief, and the sufficient grounds for us to voice out our disappointments and discomfort.

I always wondered what would happen to us if one day, we loose all the freedom and earthly liberty that we enjoy now? How if someone walks up to me, points a gun on my head, and threatens to pull the trigger if I do not recant my faith in Christ? What would be my response? Will I recant or will I be prepared to be martyred for Christ? There is always a cost for our commitment. I am deeply challenged with this reality in my own journey as I meditate upon the life of the first martyr, Stephan.

I would like to invite all of you to pause a second and think of what would be your response if you were to be in Stephan’s situation or any other Christian martyrs. Friend, we must always be ready to count the cost of our commitment in the Lord.

Prayer : Lord, it is truly hard to imagine what would I do if I am fixed in such kind of a situation. Whatever it is, help me to be faithful to you even if it cost me my own life or the lives of my loved ones. Lord, You are my strength when I am weak. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I will always remain faithful to you no matter how much it cost me. Amen.