It is remarkable to think that the first person to die for their faith in Jesus Christ was not one of the disciples. It wasn't the Apostle Paul. It wasn't a missionary or a pastor. It was a waiter... a simple servant. His name was Stephen.

Stephen was appointed to serve tables because he met three criteria:

He was a man of good repute. People thought well of him. He lived his life in such a way that people admired him. Jesus in Matthew 5:16 said, "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." That's the kind of man he was!
He was full of the Spirit. It was obvious to others that Stephen's life was bearing fruit. He demonstrated a dependency upon God to do his work. His actions showed that he was under the influence and power of the Spirit.
He was also full of wisdom. Stephen demonstrated time and time again that he knew how to make wise decisions. Wisdom means more than just making good decisions, it means making the best decision! God is wise and wants us to be wise as well. One of the worst names that someone could be called in the Bible was foolish, so it was important to put a wise person in leadership.

Stephen was simply called to serve, and yet we might think he was overqualified. But we should remember that God calls all of his children to serve and these three criteria should actually be true of all of us. Because Stephen lived a life of integrity and humbly served others, he was given the greatest privilege of all. He was able to die for his faith. He gave his life as a testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many others throughout time have died for their faith because they understood the significance of Jesus' death for them. Jesus died for you! Will you live your life for him?

Family Discussion

What is your reputation like with others? Do they admire your faith?
When you read about the fruit of the Spirit, do you see those traits in your life?
How are you when it comes to making wise choices?