The Cost So Dear

Even today, Christian believers in many countries are beaten, burned, caned, evicted, exiled, imprisoned, mistreated, mocked, stoned, whipped, and otherwise persecuted for their faith. Many are executed as modern day martyrs, laying down their very lives rather than renouncing their faith in Jesus Christ. One researcher estimates that 465 Christians are martyred daily!

The Cost So Dear -A Rhyme Displayed for Those Who Paid

Real- Life Martyrs Remain Faithful to the End, Even Today

We murmur daily and complain
Of irritations, minor pain,
And yet we stand, in freedom's gain,
View sacrifices with disdain.

Dear Stephen was the first of all;
'Mid stoning, on the Lord he'd call,
Until a glimpse of glory spied
And Stephen, ever faithful, died.

This very day, around the globe,
The faithful stand upon the Hope,
Their bodies marred, their lives laid down
To gain a share of Heaven's crown.

These humble heroes meekly stand
And place their trust in Jesus' hand;
They count their sorrows wholly blest
To serve a calling o'er the rest.

Although their human lives be spent,
No enemy can circumvent.
With mortar mixed from martyrs' blood,
The Church will stand through fire and flood.
c2008 by Linda Ann Nickerson 

Vintage/public domain art

For more information on modern-day martyrs and those who are persecuted for their faith, please visit the Voice of the Martyrs.

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