Romanus The Martyr....
(circa 285 AD)........
The Roman prefect by the name of Asclepiades invaded the city of Antioch. His purpose was to force the Christians to renounce their faith. However, Romanus took a stand and encouraged the people to fight back.
As the believers saw the great grace of God working in Romanus, they all were greatly encouraged to stand firm, ready to shed their blood for the name of their Christ. With one will and mind... they were able to fight off the armed Roman soldiers.
Asclepiades took Romanus and had him scoured with whips. Instead of tears, moans, and crys for help... Romanus sang psalms of worship the entire time. The more Romanus said about the Lord Jesus, the more furious Asclepiades became. He had Romanus' sides slit open with knives until the bones of his ribs showed. Romanus began to preach about the living God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and eternal life. Romanus' teeth were then knocked out, his face beat, and his cheeks gashed with knives. When they had finished, Romanus thanked them and began to preach once more. He then cast Romanus into a mighty fire, but a great storm arose and quenched the flames. Finally, after many hours of torture, Asclepiades was amazed at Romanus' courage, stopped the torturing and ordered him to be taken to the prison and strangled.
Do you have the same courage to stand up for Jesus Christ?...........
There are so many Martyrs in history, but Romanus always stood out to me. Maybe because his life didn't end quickly as some and he suffered as Jesus did. I also hope that I could live up to the same courage as he had. So... I picked his name and story to help encourage others in their walk with Christ.
A Prayer for When You Feel Lost - Your Daily Prayer - April 27
When we feel lost, God is our true north. He is the one who can lead us where He wants us. It is so easy to get caught up in listening to the world, so sometimes, it is best to shut it out to create a quiet space for God to work.