“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:3)
It’s nearly impossible for most of us to imagine having our friends and family members hauled off to prison for believing in Jesus. Sometimes we feel stung by angry words directed towards Christians, especially over hot-button cultural issues like creation, abortion, and homosexual rights. But the fact is that most of us are free to believe what we like and broadcast it to whomever will listen without fear of any serious penalty.
That wasn’t the case in all corners of the Roman empire when Hebrews was written – and it’s not the case in many nations around the world today. As then, Christians are being jailed, persecuted, and killed for acknowledging faith in Jesus.
You don’t have to know someone personally to go and do as today’s verse teaches. There are ways for you to remember those in prison for Christ right now and to help the mistreated. A good place to start is persecution.com, a site run by The Voice of the Martyrs. Stop by to read about persecution happening right now and how you might be able to remember and help.
Think: In most cultures, there’s a lot of shame attached with being sent to prison for any reason – and a fear that if you try to help imprisoned Christians, you could end up jailed, as well. If you were being seriously mistreated for your belief in Jesus, how would you want other Christians to respond?
Pray: Ask God to help those imprisoned around the world for their faith in Christ. Then ask him to help you know how he’d like you to remember them and maybe even help.
Do: If you haven’t, yet, click on over to persecution.com and spend a little time getting to know what’s going on with the persecuted church around the world.