The First Martyr
Like Stephen, we are met with open arms—Jesus standing to welcome us home.
Devotional Credit: Immeasurably More
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Stephen’s martyrdom is a radiant testimony to the indwelling Christ’s life triumphing even in death. As stones flew and the crowd seethed, heaven opened—not for vengeance, but for welcome. Stephen, filled with the Spirit, saw Jesus standing—not seated—at the right hand of the Father, as if ready to receive him personally. This beautiful scene reminds us that for every believer, death is not a fearful plunge into the unknown but a passage met by Christ Himself. He welcomes His own not with judgment but with joy.
The devotional calls attention to Stephen’s final words, echoing those of Jesus on the cross: surrender and forgiveness. “Receive my spirit… do not hold this sin against them.” These weren’t acts of spiritual heroism powered by human resolve, but expressions of Christ’s own heart flowing through a yielded vessel. Stephen didn’t strive to be like Christ—he let Christ be seen in him. The result was a life so luminous that even Saul of Tarsus, present and complicit, could not escape its imprint.
The blood of the martyrs truly has been the seed of the church. From Stephen’s death came the quiet rumblings of conviction in Saul’s soul, which would later erupt into the dramatic conversion of the Apostle Paul. That moment on the Damascus road was not random. It was Christ finishing what He had begun through Stephen’s Spirit-led witness—goading Saul with grace, until the risen Lord personally revealed Himself.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit
You are not alone when you suffer. I am with you, even to the end of the age. As Stephen’s earthly sight dimmed, his spiritual sight sharpened, and he beheld Me standing—ready to receive him. So too will you be received, not merely into rest, but into My presence, where I have prepared a place for you. When the world stones you with rejection, I steady you with welcome. When you are falsely accused, I declare you righteous in Me.
Let My love flow even when hatred rises. As Stephen forgave, so do I forgive through you. This is not your strength—it is My grace at work, releasing mercy through your yielded spirit. Stephen did not fear death because he had already found Life in Me. And through his laying down, another would rise. Saul, hardened and zealous, carried that moment like a stone in his shoe—a holy discomfort that I used to draw him to Myself.
Nothing offered in love is ever wasted. No cry of surrender is ever forgotten. I collect every tear, remember every act of faith, and bring beauty even from martyrdom. Your life, hidden with Me, shines brightest when the world is darkest. Keep your eyes fixed on Me. I am standing to receive you—not just at the end, but in every moment of surrender.
Scriptures: Acts 7:59–8:1, Luke 23:34, Acts 26:14, Matthew 28:20, Colossians 3:3, John 14:2–3
Real-Life Analogy
It’s like walking into your home after a long, exhausting day and finding someone you love already waiting for you at the door—arms open, smile wide, expecting you. No need for knocking, no awkward delay—just the immediate warmth of welcome. That’s what Stephen saw as the heavens opened: not a distant God, but Jesus, standing to meet him, arms wide.
Prayer of Confidence
Jesus, I rest in the reality that You receive me—not just when I die, but in every moment I yield. I thank You that You live through me in grace, even in hardship. When I face rejection, I trust You are near. When I forgive, I do so from the overflow of Your Spirit. You waste nothing—not pain, not loss, not even death. My life is hidden in You, and I rejoice that even my smallest surrender becomes part of Your great redemptive work.