[BlackEagle]

Thanks for that, Terry.
As you say, there is a great temptation to follow the route of least resistance, to "go with the flow" and not rock the boat.

For some the decision to obey God rather than to compromise or conform to the world is much more stark. Today there is a minister in one of the middle east countries under sentence of death because he converted to Christianity from Islam and will not recant.

In 1974 my parents were travelling through the middle east and heard about the convert to Christianity who would not recant, and "fell" off a train. In Scotland there was a time called the "Killing Times" during the 1600's when just carrying a Bible was grounds for immediate execution and missing a church service conducted by one of the King's curates was grounds for heavy fines and imprisonment. Many of these "criminals" were exiled to the colonies or to Australia. When I was much younger we visited many of the martyrs' monuments in Scotland and reviewed the stories of these brave men, women and children. It was one of the major influences in my becoming a Christian: these people had something so important to live for they were willing to suffer and even die for it. I wanted something wothwhile to live for. Back then, and today, the people all were saying, "we must obey God, rather than man."

It's the same decision the Christians had to make in Smyrna, Rev. 2:10--"Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." A brief history/culture investigation shows Smyrna was extremely loyal to Rome and all her citizens were required by law to once a year burn a pinch of incense and say "Caesar is Lord". The Christians could not do that and suffered the consequences.