Ready to be crucified?

I had a staggering thought the other day: am I ready to die a death like Jesus for the sake of defending the gospel, to acknowledge that he alone is God, and there is no other way to heaven--no matter the consequence?

We have comfortably been raised in America with the concept of Christianity as a "take it or leave it" religious option, as if it were a benign choice like giving your money away to a certain organization. No consequence if you choose one organization or the other. Sure, some may disagree, or even challenge the idea that it is excluding another, more important cause, but overall, it's your choice.

In reality, how many true followers of Jesus are there in America? Am I a true follower?

If someone held a gun to my head asking me to denounce my faith, to be honest, I wouldn't fear too much simply because of the kind of quick death that would come from a bullet. It may be painful for a moment, but it would soon pass.

But to die a death like Jesus and even some Christians past-a prolonged, wrenching, excruciating execution where even time feels like muscle fibers slowly tearing--where a second feels like a minute, and a minute becomes three hours--would I have the strength, the deep knowledge of my own conviction to be able to withstand such a horror?

This thought aroused in me such a piercing feeling of gratefulness that I live in this country and not in an area where my faith in Jesus Christ is reason for slaughter.

Jesus came into the world to save me--a continual sinner--so that I can have hope beyond a bullet to the head, beyond alienation and criticism from the world, beyond poverty and riches, beyond mediocrity and hopelessness. I We have been saved from a world that does not accept us into an everlasting family that has no end.