Day 319: Acts 5:28 - 7:60

Among the many thousands who have died for the sake of Christ, I would dare to say that not a single one has ever been as widely known and preached as Stephen, the first Christian martyr. The story of Stephen is such an inspirational story that we can all learn alot from regardless of whether or not our natural lives are currently hanging in the balance. Something I can't help but notice about Stephen is his quick boldness to preach God's Word with absolutely no regard to what might happen to him personally. I can imagine many of us would probably begin to back-pedal and try to talk our way out of such situations, and yet Stephen was content to do what needed to be done so that he might have just as much of an impact, if not more, after death. It's God's will for each of us to have such a passion for His name that we would be willing to focus on Him first and our own personal lives second. We can all learn a little something about boldness from a man like Stephen, and I know that God will show us more if we will just ask Him.

- God, help me to be strong like Stephen even in the face of terrible adversity. Help me to not regard my life as my own, but remember that You are the One who gave it to me and the least I could do is be willing to give it right back to You. -