During the reign of Emperor Licinius a group of Christian soldiers were forced to remove their clothing and stand naked on a lake of ice. As fellow believers began dying of hypothermia one of the victims ran off the ice screaming the denial of his beliefs. One of the men standing guard on the shoreline stripped off his clothes and took his place. His eyes had been opened to see the vision of surrounding angels placing a crown on the head of each martyr.
Our hearts grieve over those who have turned away from the truth having once known him (2 Peter 2:22). Peter says to the disobedient Jesus is something on which to stub their toe. But to God, Jesus and those that belong to him are precious. He will give them joy, peace and liberty on earth, and unfathomable glory in eternity (1 Peter 1:7-8).
