Weekly thought for inner reflection and meditation.. Imagine yourself face-to-face with Jesus. You are self-possessed, well-mannered, surrounded by your accomplishments. Imagine Jesus looking into your eyes so that you know the depth of his love for you. Now imagine him asking you to give up something that is very precious to you. You cringe. “O, Lord, not that!” you exclaim. What is your “not that”?

Even Peter denied Christ Jesus in the final hours of Jesus's death. Would Jud or Mike stand by their beliefs in the face of their wives or children or other family members being tortured or killed if they didn't? Would *I*? I would pray that something like this would never happen to any of us – but the fact of the matter is, there are people in a dozen different countries around the world who are suffering this exact same fate, and I have to wonder if their faith is by far stronger than any of us here in this country who have never had to withstand such severe trials of our faith.

It's relatively easy to stick by one's beliefs when one is a well-respected member or leader in the Christian community, with plenty of money in the bank, a nice big house to live in, a steady and secure job, and a loving family – but what happens if all those things were taken away? Would we stand for what we believe in, or crumble under the promise of even a shadow of what we once had at the pinnacle of our worldly success? Would we put our families or ourselves ahead of God? Everyone would like to proclaim in a loud and firm voice, “I would *never* give in!” but the truth is, none of us would really know unless faced with that situation. I would pray for God's grace and strength for anyone having to undergo such terrible circumstances…