Their God Is My God

August 4

After the Storm Is Over by Holly Gerth

Raindrops scatter across my windshield as I drive home from a speaking engagement and the thoughts within my mind feel much the same.

Questions haphazardly come:

Should I have said that?

Was I helpful?

How did it really go?

I pull into my garage and the sound of the storm lessens.  Stillness begins to settle within me, too. I picture the corner of my room where I curl up to spend time praying. And these words come to my heart: “When all is said and done I get to go home to Jesus.”

In the moment I mean that in the most literal way.  I’m thinking of a cup of tea, a warm blanket and time for Him to bring my still-racing heart back to its usual rhythm. But I smile as I realize the words are true for eternity, too. No matter what happens in this life, when all is said and done we get to go home to Jesus.

That reality gives us the strength and courage to serve:

Jesus knew that all things were under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the last meal He would have on earth, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist.  After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet. John 13:3-5

We, too, are called to be foot-washers and holy risk takers.  We are called to step outside our comfort zones, face the storms, even walk on water if that’s what He tells us to do.  We can do that only if we are sure of where we’re ultimately headed and Who will be waiting for us. If you’re not yet, you can be today.

I open the door of my house and it seems to invite me in like an old friend. I find my quiet spot in the corner. I close my eyes and all the questioning stops. I remember again that I am loved not because of what I do but because of Who I belong to. Home is where my heart is and I’m not in heaven yet. But I’m learning this: Home is also Who’s within my heart.

And as I whisper a prayer while the storm subsides, I know Jesus is there.

Our sister, Holly Gerth, speaks of the anxiety we sometimes feel in our day-to-day walk with Jesus.  We wonder if we’re pleasing to Him in our effort to convey His truth, His power, His love to others.

The following is the tale of 21 Christian men who were brutalized because they love Jesus.  May we reflect upon them and the sacrifice they made when we find ourselves disconcerted by the ups and downs of our lives of ease.

“Truly I say to you, today
you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
-Luke 23:43

Their God Is My God by Brad Reiches

"Following the martyrdom of Coptic Christian men by Libyan Islamic State (IS) militants in February 2015, the names of 21 of the martyrs were widely shared. The martyrs were kidnapped from Sirte, Libya, where they were working.

Initially, it was believed that all of the men killed for their faith were from small villages in Egypt. However, the name and background of one of those killed, a black man, was unknown. Mathew Ayairga was soon identified by friends after being recognized in video footage of the killings released by IS.

According to Ahram-Canadian News, Mathew was from Chad. Mathew had gone missing in January 2015, captured by one of the radical groups in Libya who have kidnapped hundreds, both Muslim and Christian.

The video made public on Feb. 15 shows each of the men dressed in orange jumpsuits, kneeling on a beach, with their black-clothed attackers standing behind them. Each one is systematically beheaded and the video clearly shows many of the men praying “Lord Jesus Christ” in their final moments.

According to reports, Mathew Ayairga was not a Christian. However, when moments before his death the IS extremists demanded that he follow Islam, Mathew turned them down. After reportedly witnessing the “immense faith” of the Egyptian believers, and he decided to become a follower of Christ.

On camera, one of the terrorists asked Matthew, “Do you reject Christ?”

“Their God is my God,” he responded, and he became one of the 21 men laying down their lives for their faith in Christ."