Jesus was God in the flesh. God chose to come to earth in the form of a human so we can know who He is. He was obedient unto death and many have followed in those footsteps For centuries being slaughtered for their faith. The proper word for this is martyr. Stephen was the first to be martyred in Acts. Acts says Stephen looked up and Jesus was standing at the right hand of the Father. It’s the only place in scripture Jesus is standing. Jesus stood for Stephen.
How many times is Jesus standing? Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is a record of those who died for their faith beginning with Stephen. The early church kept a record of the Martyrs chained to the pulpits in their churches right next to Scripture. That’s how important the lives of these were to the church.
Have we forgotten?
To live for God is to die for God, to endure persecution to the very end. I believe Jesus is still standing up as many are still losing life because they are following Jesus.
They will receive a beautiful crown. This crown will be cast down and given back to God. When in the Presence of God, we will know we are unworthy of our crowns, but it will bring great joy to have something amazing to give to God. If we are anything at all it’s because of God.
This reminds me of a song I learned as a teen I used to sing with my students as their youth pastor:
We fall down,
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus.
The greatness of
His mercy and love,
At the feet of Jesus.
When we understand the mercy and love of God we surrender, it’s not about us anymore. It’s about God.
Jeni Martin Johnson 
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