A Thought For the Week of April 22

Thought for the week: "They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated ..." (Hebrews 11:37) This past week has been a week in which fear won, unfortunately. I'm talking, of course, about the bombings in Boston - terrorism it's called, which emphasis on "terror." Those who commit such acts have one primary goal - to spread as much fear as possible, to terrorize people, to make us afraid and to make us see enemies around every corner. Suspect everyone - especially those who look different or believe differently or who dare to disagree with you. That's living in fear - and, unfortunately, while living in fear might be living, it's not life - certainly not as Jesus wants it lived. I thought of the words above over the course of the last week. They are a part of a passage describing the hardships faced by the first disciples of Jesus. Those were courageous people who stood for their faith against terrible opposition. They were people who should have been terrorized into silence by the forces arrayed against them. But they weren't! Nothing could terrorize them, simply because they believed in Jesus, and they took to heart Jesus' words: "Do not be afraid." Don't let the events of last week change you. Don't let those who promote terror actually terrorize you, because if you let fear take over, that's how they win. Have the courage a disciple of Jesus should be filled with. Live a joyful, abundant life in such a way that the world will see the difference Jesus makes to you. Have a great week.