I read something today that struck me; it was talking about how people are killed for being themselves. You’ve probably heard this at some point. Whether it’s people being killed for being Christian, people being killed for being LGBT, or even people being killed for being women. It got me thinking about the reason people are killed.

What would you say the leading cause of death is? Maybe that’s too broad, so how about the leading cause of murder? Some might attribute the cause to the victim, others to the killer. Rarely would we call them the same. Even when it comes to suicide, we don’t consider the person taking their own life to be both victim and killer.

As I reflect on this, I think we’ve overcomplicated it. In our desperation to be alive and free, we’ve forgotten what the true number one cause of all death is.

Sin.

Romans 5:12 (ESV) – Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned

If we hadn’t first sinned against God, death would never have been on the table. No murder, no illness, no car accidents, no death. Because we all sin, we all must face death. I am so grateful that the story doesn’t end there. Jesus gives us new hope through his life, death, and resurrection, that we can look forward to a greater life beyond death.

So we know what death is, where it came from, and it’s inevitability. We also know the hope that lies beyond it. This leads me to ask, what’s worth dying for? If we are part of a group that is targeted, at what point should we throw up our hands and walk away? No matter what we choose in life, someone will target us for something. Even if they don’t, or we survive it, sooner or later our time ends. 

This is to each person to decide for themselves. Hopefully many of us will never face being murdered for where we stand. I pray for those who face this persecution, for safety and guidance. I can’t imagine how I would react in their shoes. I only know that I hope if I were faced with that reality, that I would stand firmly behind the name of Jesus. While many beliefs and groups can lead a person to earthly death, he is the only one that leads to eternal life.

Romans 5: 18-19 (NIV) – Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Would you pray with me?

Father God, thank you for showing us the truth of our sin, and providing a way out. I pray now for those who are persecuted in this world, whether they be Christian or not, that they would be encouraged by the promise of a new life. I pray for their protection, for their safety. And if they should be taken from this life, I pray they would embrace you, that their passing may lead them into the eternal paradise which you have prepared for us. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.