The biggest news story today is about the defection of Chang Sung Gil, who is the North Korean ambassador to Egypt. He had been in Egypt on a three-year assignment and was due to return to his home country next month. He didn't show up for work on Friday, August 22nd, but was later reported to be in the United States, seeking asylum.

I know he comes from a country that is plagued with famine, that has a government notorious for corruption and its violation of human rights. But his recent defection has caused me to think and reflect on our behavior as Christians. Just the word "defector" brings up synonyms in my mind like turncoat, traitor, betrayer, treason, Judas and Benedict Arnold.

I wonder sometimes if we can't live as if we have defected to the other side? We might go to church and mouth the right words, but do we betray our allegiance to Christ as Lord and King by the way we live during the week. What about the shows we watch, the movies we frequent, the way we speak to our spouses, the way we talk at work or the jokes we laugh at with the guys at lunch! All of these may show that we have really defected to the other side. Satan's side!

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews pled with the early Christians to keep their allegiance to Christ. Many of them were going back to their former practices. He writes: "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first" (Hebrews 3:12-14).

God help us to keep our loyalties where they belong, in Christ. Let it never, ever be said of us that we are "spiritual defectors," but numbered among those who are "faithful unto death!"