Church devotion: Gender Genocide - 1 Peter 1:6

1 Peter 1:6      In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

There is no rejoicing among Northern Nigerians whose daughters were brutally kidnapped recently by the Talibanic terrorist group, Boko Haram. While we are excited about final exams and proms, a whole community across the world is totally devastated. Almost three hundred girls, who were taking their final exams, were inhumanely abducted at gunpoint and are now suffering under the wickedness of this hostile group. Their families are anguished and, until the world rallies to their defense, their hearts will remain broken and their losses will be difficult to endure.

This kind of callous kidnapping has been going on for centuries. All over the world millions of women and young girls are abducted, sold into slavery, and trafficked as sexual chattels each year. Corrupt governments and greedy leaders turn a blind eye to what’s going on in Africa, Asia, Europe, and even here in North America. It’s a scandalous situation, a shameful issue, and a sinful blight upon the whole of humanity. Until women are properly treated as equals across the entire planet, these inhumane practices, which really should be called ‘gender genocide,’ will tragically continue and never be resolved.

As Christians, we need to advocate on behalf of women everywhere, not solely in a feminist way but in an entire human way, where women and men stand together and truly fight for these inalienable rights. Those who hide behind religious doctrine or masculine supremacy need to be totally confronted and made to change their ways or pay for their crimes. We cannot wait for another century or even another millennium for this to occur. We need to act now; we need to pressurize our politicians and write to our representatives, boldly demanding these changes and continually calling upon them to actively advocate for women in this land and everywhere else.

This may not seem to be much of a devotion to you, today; but sometimes in our devotion to God we need actively practice our faith by being advocates for freedom and equality, faith and love. If not, then all that we have is a heavenly faith that is no earthly use at all.

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You treated women as equals and honored them for their gifts, their love, and their faith. Help us to do the same in our churches, communities, nations, and continents. Keep us mindful of the inhumane trafficking of people, especially women and girls across the world. Grant us the courage to stand together against these sinful, ungodly, and wicked practices. In Your Holy Name, we fervently pray. Amen.