…since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
Philippians 1:30 NIV
Engaged in the Conflict
Canadians are polite, reserved, and say sorry … a lot. We certainly don’t start wars — we try to prevent them. After all, Canada is a nation of peacekeepers… right? Well, yes… and no. Actually, it’s complicated. While Canada has taken part in many peacekeeping missions over the decades, this land also has a long history of conflict that stretches back millennia. The ancestors of today’s Indigenous peoples engaged in warfare for a variety of reasons. When Europeans reached the New World, they sometimes clashed with the Indigenous peoples who lived here. The newcomers also fought with each other.
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I was speaking to a friend recently who has been to prison for his faith in Jesus. In his country, it is illegal to leave the majority religion to follow Jesus. He read in the Bible that he couldn’t keep his newfound faith to himself, and that cost him dearly. I asked how he stood up to the punishment he had received, and he said, “I know people who have suffered even more because of their love for Jesus.” He isn’t the first Christian to say such a thing. The imprisoned Apostle Paul wrote this in Philippians 1:30: “…since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” Jesus told His followers that in this world, we will have tribulation. So, we shouldn’t be surprised when that happens. Compared to what others face around the world, we face little opposition for publicly confessing Christ. Let’s do so today, knowing that our brothers and sisters around the world are doing just that with much worse repercussion.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley