Extreme Forgiveness

Romania: Demeter

Demeter suffered for many years in Communist prisons. He had remained strong in spirit during his confinement, but his body was beginning to wear down. There was a certain prison warden who amused himself by beating on Demeter’s spine with a hammer, which permanently paralyzed him. But Demeter’s Christlike attitude never wavered, and he was eventually released from prison.

Twenty years later, he heard a knock at the front door of his home. He was shocked to see the same prison warden who had so cruelly beat on his spine and paralyzed him years before standing before him. Still, Demeter did not waver in his expression of faith.

Even before Demeter could offer a greeting, the former warden said, “I realize I can never be forgiven for what I have done to you. It was too heinous. But please just listen to my words of apology and then I will leave.”
Demeter paused only for a moment as he gazed with compassion and wonder at the man. He replied softly, “For twenty years I have prayed for you daily. I have waited for you. Twenty years ago, I forgave you already.” If we are willing to show love and forgiveness to everyone – even those who have hurt us – then the love of Christ can conquer all.

Most people will never suffer deliberate physical torment. However, the wounds that others inflict upon us emotionally can be just as devastating. Memories of unkind words, a betrayal by a friend, a bitter divorce, can stay with us for a lifetime. We are tempted to hold a grudge, or even perhaps to exact revenge against the offender. Forgiveness does not come naturally to us, but it is inseparable from God’s nature. If we have tasted God’s grace, then we can allow others to share in God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness does not depend on the offender’s asking for it first. It is an act of obedience, as well as an act of faith. Ask God to open your heart to the miracle of true forgiveness.

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.  

Extreme Turnaround

China: Chang Shen

Before his conversion, Chang Shen had been known as a gambler, womanizer, and thief. When he was stricken blind in midlife, neighbours said it was the judgement of the gods for his evildoings. 

In 1886, Chang travelled hundreds of miles to a missionary hospital where people were receiving sight. His eyesight was partially restored, and he also heard about Christ for the first time. "Never had we a patient who received the gospel with such joy," reported the doctor.

When Chang asked to be baptized, missionary James Webster replied, "Go home and tell your neighbours that you have changed. If you are still following Jesus, when I visit you later, then I will baptize you." Five months later, Webster arrived and found hundreds of believers. He baptized the new evangelist with great joy.

Later, a clumsy, native doctor robbed Chang of the partial eyesight he had, buy Chang continued his travels to different villages. Though some spat on him and rejected him, he still won hundreds more to Christ.

When the Boxer Rebellion arose, Christians led Chang to a cave in the mountains for safety. The Boxers rounded up fifty Christians for execution in a nearby town but promised to spare them all if Chang came forward. When news reached Chang, he said, "I'll gladly die for them."

Chang was beheaded three days later, and the remaining local Christians were spared.

The great exchange is the message of the great gospel. Jesus offers the opportunity to exchange our old life for a new start. Look how he changed Chang, from one living for self to a person sold out completely for Christ. No matter how much ruin we have caused in our former life, we can be restored to a right relationship with God. This is why our personal testimony is such a powerful witness. A changed life presents strong evidence for the fact of salvation. We don't talk like we used to talk. We don't walk like we used to walk. Who needs to hear about the difference Christ has made in your life?

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Extreme Refusal

“They begged and begged me, but I couldn't give it to them,” said the man. “I know Christians are supposed to share, but I just couldn’t part with it.” He sadly held out his hand so that his listener could see his prized possession. 

“I really wanted to, but I couldn’t. You see, people in North Korea told me that they have been praying for fifty years to get a Bible. But I didn’t give them mine because I had been praying for twenty years, and I had just gotten it from a pastor in South Korea.”

He sighed deeply as his mind went to the needy believers in North Korea desperately praying for one copy of the Bible. He hugged his Bible to his chest. He had escaped the Communist prison state and was now living freely in South Korea.

Bibles in North Korea are rare. Because of the opposition from the Communists, believer consider them more precious than gold. One man was beaten to death with an iron rod along the Chinese border when he was caught bringing Bibles into North Korea. Sadly, cases like this are reported over and over.

“I cannot forget those people,” he said with a sigh. “I cannot forget the look of envy on their faces when I showed them my Bible. I feel so bad for them.”

They serve as coasters for drinks or a handy spot to rest the remote control. Their sturdy covers help compose a letter on hotel stationery or catch the ashes falling from a cigarette. They listlessly adorn the coffee table, next to the caramel candy dish and the TV Guide. Although this book remains a best-seller year after year, no one seems to be reading it very much. It is the Bible. The Bible is abused and neglected outside of those places where its true value is known all too well. How differently we might treat our Bibles if we had to pray twenty years to get one! What can you do to revive your passion for God’s precious Word?

Extreme Courage

Romania: A Young Woman

It was almost midnight as the women prisoners heard the Communist guards arrive. They quickly gathered around the condemned, a young women of twenty who had been sentenced to die for her faith in Christ. They whispered hurried good-byes. There were no tears from the young Romanian woman, no screams for mercy. 

Earlier that evening, the prisoners had listened to the young woman, her face glowing with love. “For me, this grave is the doorway to a heavenly city,” she had told them. “Who can tell the beauty of that city? There, sadness is not known. There is only joy and song. Everyone is dressed in the white of purity. We can see God face-to-face. There are such joys that human language cannot express. Why should I weep? Why should I be sad?”

She was engaged to be married, but that night, she told them, instead of being with her earthly fiancé, she would meet her heavenly bridegroom.

The pitiless guards entered the cell, and the woman stepped toward them, ready to go. As she left the cell, surrounded by guards, she began to recite the Apostles’ Creed. Minutes later, with tears streaming down their faces, the remaining prisoners heard shots. The executioners thought they had ended the young woman’s life, but they had only sent her to live forever in a much better place.

Courage is the bridge that carries us from a nominal existence on earth to an inexplicable longing for a heavenly future. Those who fully understand the certainty of heaven’s existence find it easier to exchange their comparably paltry lives on earth for eternal citizenship in heaven. Courage helps us to let go of all we cling to on earth – all the things that make us long to stay here. It takes courage to believe in a life after death. After all, life on earth is all we really know until the moment we die. We are courageous when we launch out in faith, believing Christ has made it possible for us to cross into eternity with him. Once we have made that firm decision, we can face life with purpose and death with courage.

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

North Korea: A Visiting Missionary

When the boy in the hotel finally spotted the visiting “businessman,” he ran to him and grabbed his hand. The startled visitor tried to pull away but soon realized that the boy was making the sign of the cross on his palm silently with his finger. The man, a missionary who had prayed to make contact with the church, looked down into the face of the rail-thin boy and immediately understood the message: “The church is alive in North Korea!”

The next day, the missionary met secretly with the boy. He learned that his father was a Christian who had been imprisoned years before. The boy’s family had greatly suffered under the brutal government and had to beg for food just to survive. Now because of drought, people everywhere were dying from severe malnutrition.

When the missionary asked what he could do, he thought surely the boy would request food for his family. But the boy asked him for only four things: to take his tithe that he had saved over many years, to baptize him, to give him Holy Communion, and to give him a better Bible.

The man was moved to tears as he realized the boy’s wisdom. Physical help would only serve him for a day or two, and then he would be back in the same predicament. Spiritual help would prepare him for eternity.

Wanting something and needing something are two entirely different things for most people. What they want is not what they need. Yet what they need most is not what they want. This is why so many people are frustrated. The child in this story teaches us what happens when all our wants are lined up with all our needs. He got it right. He wanted the very thing he needed most: Jesus Christ. When all you want is all you need, you will find great satisfaction. You may say you want money, but you’ll soon find that money meets only so many needs. You may say you need money, but soon you’ll want other things as well. Only Jesus can satisfy your wants and needs at the same time.

Extreme Worship

Ancient Babylon: Daniel

He heard the decree from his window: “For the next thirty days, anyone who prays to anyone other than the king will be thrown to the lions.”

Daniel pushed the shutters open. On the rooftop across the way, two of the king’s advisors who hated him stood, glaring intensely. He nodded cordially as he met their eyes, and they nodded back, as cunning smiles spread across their faces.

Daniel went to every window in his chamber and swung it wide open. At each there seemed to be observers. Then he went to the center of the room, where all could see him, knelt, and began worshipping God.
The king was dejected when the guards brought Daniel before him. The king had been tricked. His decree could not be revoked, though he had sought all day to find a way to free Daniel, whom he considered to be good man.

“Take him,” King Darius said to the guards. Then he looked in Daniel’s eyes and said, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” (Daniel 6:16). The soldiers took Daniel to the den, with the king following close behind. Daniel did not say a word, but bowed to the king and walked in among the lions. The doorway was sealed with a large boulder.

Daniel went to the center of the den, knelt, and began worshipping God.

Extreme worship is not a manner of praise. It’s not a specific method or a particular tradition. It’s not determined by debating organ music verses contemporary praise. In fact, it has little to do with how we praise God at all. Extreme worship is defined by when and where we worship. When we are drawn to worship during our most stressful times, we practice extreme worship. When we are drawn to sing praise where the opposition is strongest, we practice extreme worship. Like Daniel, we must not allow our circumstances to dictate when and where we worship God. We must be prepared to live out our faith anytime, any place. Are you willing to serve God in extreme worship today?

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

God, our Puzzle Master

“But I am not a Communist. You must believe me,” pleaded Pastor Im when the United Nations regained the occupied territory in September of 1950. The North Korean Communist soldiers had kept Im locked in an isolated prison cell for two years for preaching to others about Christ and for refusing to change his sermons into pro-Marxist propaganda.

When the UN troops arrived, he felt certain he would be a free man again. Yet they mistook him for a Communist and threw him into another cell with the Communist captives.

Being a compassionate man and accepting the situation as God’s will, Pastor Im witnessed to the Communist prisoners. Many were converted to Christ. “We keep hearing about this prison camp preacher,” said an American missionary to his friend visiting Korea as a chaplain.

“Since he knows the prisoners so well, I wonder if he would help us organize an evangelistic service?” questioned the chaplain. God answered their prayers.

The American missionaries were able to get permission to have access to Pastor Im. And the “prison preacher” faithfully helped and preached at prison camps all over South Korea. Thousands of Communists accepted Christ. Within a year, twelve thousand prisoners were rising each morning for dawn prayer meetings.

Pastor Im never saw his family again, yet thousands became his brothers in Christ in the prison camps.

“What’s the point?” This is the question on everyone’s minds when we see unjust suffering and violence. However, we cannot always know God’s purposes. We can only know they are great and they are ultimately for our good. We are like individual puzzle pieces spread out over a table. We strain our eyes from side to side and see that the pieces immediately around us do not seem to fit. We feel frustrated and frightened. Yet God is the puzzle Master – the only one who sees the whole picture. He can see all the pieces in your life at once. He knows how they fit together for his greater purpose. Will you look with trust into the eyes of the Master, content wherever he places you?

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Extreme Sight

Liuba Ganevskaya had been beaten repeatedly in the Russian prison. But when she looked up at her torturer, holding the whip above her back, she smiled.

“Why do you smile?” he asked, stunned.

“I don’t see you as a mirror would reveal you right now,” Liuba said. “I see you as you surely have been – a beautiful, innocent child. We are the same age. We might have been playmates.”

God opened Liuba’s eyes to see the man differently. She saw his exhaustion; he was as tired of beating her as she was of being beaten. He was frustrated that he wasn’t able to make her reveal the activities of other believers.

“He is so much like you,” God said into Liuba’s heart. “You are both caught in the same drama of life. You and your torturers pass through the same veil of tears.”

Seeing the man through God’s eyes, Liuba’s attitude changed. She continued talked to him. “I see you, too, as I hope you will be. A persecutor worse than you once lived – Saul of Tarsus – and he became an apostle and a saint.” She asked the calmed man what burden weighed on him so much that it drove him to the madness of beating a person who had not harmed him.

Through her loving concern, Liuba ushered her torturer into Christ’s kingdom.

Earthly eyesight is often hindered by a variety of ailments: astigmatism, nearsightedness, glaucoma, and others. Just as our eyesight benefits from corrective lenses, the eyes of our heart can profit from spiritual intervention. Left to our own devices, we see only the bad in others and not the good. But God grants spiritual vision to those who want to see life from heaven’s perspective. We can begin to see an intolerant boss, or someone who insults us, as a wounded individual who needs love. We can see behind the intimidating mask of a rebellious teenager to the frightened girl or boy who is crying out for acceptance. Do you see others with heaven’s eyes? What difference would spiritual eyesight make in your life?

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office. 

Iran: A Persecuted Pastor

“Sometimes I miss those days of persecution”

The words came from an Iranian pastor who had escaped to the West. In Iran, arrest and police harassment were common experiences. He had even lost his home and job because of his faith. Now he was free to live and worship wherever he wished. How could he long for the days of persecution?

“Sometimes I miss those days,” he said, “because I was so alive. I felt every day that Jesus was with me.”

The pastor had planted a church near the front lines of the Iran-Iraq war. He earned money by driving a taxi and grew his church by sharing Christ with his passengers. In two years, he had won souls from nine language groups. Many soldiers worshipped with them each week, and he had baptized fifteen Muslim converts.

The pastor and his wife counted on God for everything. When the bombs of war fell around them, they prayed for his protection. When there wasn’t enough money, they prayed for his provision. And each day God came through for them.

Their ministry was rewarded. Ten members of his church have gone on to become pastors. Even now, the pastor can see fruit from the time of the ministry at the front lines.

If you’ve never been in love, you cannot understand what it is to be heart-broken. If you have never lost a loved one, you cannot truly relate to those who mourn. You cannot understand the longing for something you have never experienced. Those who have been persecuted for their faith describe a peculiar longing. They long not for the persecution as much as they long for the sense of fellowship their persecution brought them. They don’t miss the torture as much as they miss what the torture taught them. The end result far outweighs the suffering. If you want to experience a deeper walk with Jesus, you must be willing to obediently sacrifice for him. That is also a type of suffering. 

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Prison Inmates

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus.

The preacher was only making his first point when the prison guards burst into the room, grabbing him and slamming everyone else on the floor.

“You know this preaching is forbidden,” one of them growled. “Now you will face the punishment.” The husky guards dragged him out of the cell and down the hall. The other prisoners knew that the Eastern European Communist guards were taking their friend to the “beating room.” They heard the door of that terrible room slam and then the muffled shouts and cries as the guards ruthlessly beat their friend.

Almost an hour had passed before the guards threw open the cell door and shoved in the man who had been preaching. The other prisoners saw that his clothes were now bloody and his face bore the marks of the beatings. He looked around at his cell mates almost as if taking attendance.

“Now, my brothers,” he said, “Where did I leave off when we were so rudely interrupted?” And the sermon continued. Christians in prison knew the price they would pay to deliver a sermon, and yet many preached. Some, with no theological training or ministry experience, would preach passionately and eloquently in prison.

“It was a deal,” wrote one prisoner later. “We preached, and they beat. We were happy preaching, and they were happy beating – so everyone was happy.”

In a world where a contract is no longer binding, a family is dissoluble, and divorces outnumber marriages, Christians must reinstate the meaning of commitment – at all costs. What is the value of a promise if it does not mean anything? However, the consequences of our commitment to Christ are not cheap. It may cost us a chance at being very successful according to the world’s standards. It may cost us friends and popularity. It may cost us our family. Our security. And for some, even our lives. Commitment must have a price. The prisoners understood that full well. Yet Christ’s reward is also part of the bargain. Are you holding up your end of the deal?

You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office. 

Extreme Thoughts

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus.

Russia: Prince Vladmir

“Move it, Prince!” laughed the guard, grabbing the young man’s arm. “Let’s see how you like your new accommodations.” The guards shoved Prince Vladmir from the royal house of Ghica into the harsh prison cell. In one corner, he could see prisoners taking clothes and blankets from a thin, dead prisoner. In the back he could hear the screams of a prisoner being tortured.

This place was a long way from the life of luxury he had known at home. Yet Prince Vladmir survived the dehumanizing conditions in prison by holding on to his faith in Christ who comforted him and guided him. A cell mate of Vladmir once said, “Nowhere have I heard purer prayers and more thoughts of eternal value than in Communist prisons.”

Vladmir’s eternal thoughts from this time were published in a powerful book. He wrote, “Blessed are those who spread joy that arises out of their own suffering. He who denies himself for others clothes himself with Christ. Seek one who does not dare approach you. Give to the one who does not ask. Love the one who pushes you away. May my joys never come through the sufferings of others. May my suffering bring some joy to others.”

Who would dream that such “pure prayers and thoughts of eternal value” would come from a dethroned prince who survived the dungeons of communist cruelty?

Negative thoughts can affect us profoundly. If we focus our minds on our sufferings, we can grow bitter and resentful as a result. If we choose to think positively in the midst of a crisis, however, then we can lift ourselves above our circumstances. Not only can we save ourselves from discouragement and despair, but we can also help others. Vladmir experienced joy in his sufferings. Are you prone to negativity when you are going through trials? Remember, you cannot control what happens in life. But you can control your attitude. Refuse to be negative. Ask God to give you a positive perspective on your trials, and open your eyes to help others.

Christ’s sure presence

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus.

Siberia: Paulus

It was getting late, and the Soviet officer had beaten and tortured Paulus for many hours. “We are not going to torture you anymore,” he said, smiling brutally when the Christian looked up. “We will send you instead to Siberia, where the snow never melts. It is a place of great suffering. You and your family will fit in well.”

Paulus, instead of being depressed, smiled. “The whole earth belongs to my Father, Captain. Wherever you send me I will be on my Father’s earth.”

The captain looked at him sharply. “We will take away all you own.”

“You will need a high ladder, Captain, for my treasures are stored up in heaven.” Paulus still wore a beautiful smile.

“We will put a bullet between your eyes,” shouted the captain, now angry.

“If you take away my life in this world, my real life of joy and beauty will begin,” answered Paulus. “I am not afraid of being killed.”

The captain grabbed Paulus by his tattered prison shirt and screamed into his face, “We will not kill you! We will keep you locked alone in a cell and allow no one to come see you!”

“You cannot do that, Captain,” said Paulus, still smiling. “I have a Friend who can pass through locked doors and iron bars. No one can separate me from the love of Christ.”

Despite an uncertain future, we can be sure of one thing: Christ will face it with us. Whether we are going through a private trail or a public grieving, we are never going alone. In contrast, every human companion will fail us at some point. There will be places in life’s journey where they cannot walk with us – the water will be too deep and their understanding would be murky at best. Only Jesus has the ability to pass through the “iron bars” on our suffering hearts and share these difficult times. Although, in his wisdom, he may not choose to deliver us from our circumstances, his sure presence will see us through them. Smile, knowing you have a Friend from whom you can never be separated.

You can order a copy of this book from our online catalogue or by contacting our office.

Rome: Ptolemaeus

“Are you a Christian?” Three times the question was asked. Three times the answer was, “Yes.” Three Christians were martyred. The Roman ruler Urbicus had no tolerance for Christians in A.D. 150.

Ptolemaeus had been accused of teaching that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. He hated the deceit and ungodliness of the day. Therefore when Urbicus asked if he was a Christian, he could not lie. He had to stand for righteousness and boldly answer, “Yes.”  For this he was put in chains and beaten many times.

Again he was brought before Urbicus. Again he was only asked one question, “Are you a Christian?”

Pain and suffering could not change reality. “Yes,” Ptolemaeus answered again.

Hearing of Ptolemaeus’ arrests, an elderly man approached Urbicus and pleaded for his soul. “Why would you execute such a fine teacher? What benefit does it serve you or the emperor? He has broken no laws. He has only confessed to being a Christian.”

Intrigued by the man’s defense, he asked a single question. “Are you also a Christian?”  The elderly man courageously stood his ground, “Yes. I am.”

“Then you may join the teacher.”

If this was not enough, another man came forward with the same protest. Again the question was asked, “Are you a Christian?”

The three children of God were executed for answering, “Yes.”

The question is simple enough. “Are you a Christian?” It’s direct. It’s personal. It’s a yes/no point of truth. Then what is difficult about the answer? The problem is not that Christians don’t know how to answer. The real problem is that others aren’t asking us the question often enough. We don’t live in such a distinct way that anyone thinks to ask what is different about our lives. We must admit far too few people are asking us the question asked of Ptolemaeus. That is the real problem. When is the last time your lifestyle piqued the interest of your coworker, friend, or neighbor—enough for them to inquire about your faith? You know the answer—now live so that others will ask the question.

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a devotional book that includes 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. You can order a copy by contacting our office or by ordering online.

Are you showing generosity and compassion to your enemies?

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a devotional book that includes 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus.

Day 17
Russia: Captain Marco

“What is it?” Soviet Captain Marco snarled at the young boy. “What do you want?”

The boy, only 12, swallowed his fear as he stood before the Communist officer.

“Captain, you are the man who put my parents in prison. Today is my mother’s birthday, and I always buy her a flower for her birthday,” said the boy. “Since my mother taught me to love my enemies and to reward evil with good, I have brought the flower instead for the mother of your children. Please take it home to your wife tonight, and tell her about my love and the love of Christ.”

Captain Marco, who had watched unmoved as Christians had been unmercifully beaten and tortured, was stunned at the act of love of this boy.

His tears fell as he slowly walked around the desk and grabbed the boy in a fatherly embrace. Marco’s heart was changed by the gift of Christ’s love. He could no longer arrest and torture Christians, and soon he himself was arrested.

Only months after the boy’s visit to his office, Marco slumped in a filthy prison cell surrounded by some of the same Christians he had previously arrested and tortured.

He tearfully told his cell mates of the young boy and the simple gift of a flower. He considered it an honour to share a cell with those he had previously hunted and attacked.

Generosity is second nature to the believer. Jesus taught that others would recognize real believers by their demonstration of love. And not just for those who love us in return. Oftentimes, generosity toward strangers and even enemies is the best application of Jesus’ teachings. Witnesses to our acts, if not the recipients themselves, are befuddled at the sight. Imagine a wounded Christian worker who prays for the boss who unjustly fired him or her. Picture the impact of grieving parents who give the gift of forgiveness to a drunk driver. The world doesn’t understand generosity. However, it is affected by it all the same. We find we are never more like God himself as when we give generously to others. God gave his only Son to demonstrate his love for the world and purchase our salvation. What could you give today that might open someone’s heart to God’s kingdom?

Extreme serenity in Romania

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts

in You.”

(Isaiah 26:3)

The pastor, his wife and their six small children had just read Psalm 23 while eating breakfast. Suddenly, the police burst into his home to search the house and arrest him.

The police asked him, “Don’t you have anything to say? Have you no sorrow or regret?”

The pastor said carefully, “You are the answer to what we prayed today. We just read in Psalm 23 that God prepares a table before us in the presences of our enemies. We had a table but no enemies. Now you have come. If you would like anything that is on the table, I would like to share it with you. You were sent by God.”

“How could you say such stupid things? We will take you to prison, and you will die there. You will never see your children again.” With continued ease, the pastor continued, “We also read about that today: ‘Though I pass through valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear.’”

The officer shouted, “Everyone fears death. I know because I have seen it on their faces.”

“A shadow of a dog can’t bite you, and the shadow of death can’t kill you. You can kill us or put us in prison, but nothing bad can happen to us. We’re in Christ, and if we die, he will take us to his world.”

Peace. It’s becoming as valuable as blue-chip stock in today’s economy of unrest and violence. Fortunately, all believers are shareholders in God’s gift through Jesus Christ. But many people lack this peace. Some take prescriptions and worry to no end, trying to receive peace apart from God. Whatever good feeling they may find is only temporary at best. Then it’s back to worry and unrest. In contrast, God’s peace enables us to succeed with serenity in our sufferings. No trial can unnerve your trust in Him. Like the gentle pastor in this story, though calamity may strike without warning, you will be prepared with God’s perfect peace.

'We are the clay; He is the potter'

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus.

Day 165
Iran

“We are the clay; He is the potter.”

One believer stood at the window, watching the midnight streets for movement that could signal the police closing in on the worshippers. The Christians were meeting secretly in the southern part of Iran. The foreign visitor added to the danger, for Iranian police would be furious to know Christians were sharing fellowship with an outsider.

One believer had recently been released from police custody, and the bruises on his body told about the treatment he had received. Although the police watched him closely and knew of this Christian work, he continued, ministering as much as he could when he wasn’t under arrest.

He spoke with passion and urged the gathered believers to grow more like Christ, regardless of the cost. All of them knew that the cost would be high, for all of them knew Christians who had been arrested, beaten or murdered. Others had simply disappeared.

The wonderful service was long and worshipful. Afterward, the amazed foreign guest asked the speaker about his prison experiences and the suffering he had endured. “How can you,” he asked, “keep such a spirit of hope and cheerfulness in the midst of these troubles?”

“These trials are just ‘tools’ in God’s hands,” said the Iranian believer. “Who am I to criticize the tools that God uses to make me more holy?”

Just as the clay cannot ask the potter what it will be, so we cannot ask our Maker what we will be. But, we can trust that God will create something beautiful and holy with our lives. We know by faith that we are the products of God’s hands.

In what ways do you need to trust that God, the Master Potter, is making you into a work of art?

Being God's instrument

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's
"St. Francis of Assisi at Prayer"
oil on canvas

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so
Much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus. Find out more here.

An extreme volunteer

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a book of 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus.

Day 117: Sister Kwang
China

After requiring many hours of hard labour and offering a near-starvation diet, the Chinese prison guards demanded that someone volunteer to clean the bathrooms daily. None of the women prisoners spoke up.

Finally, Sister Kwang stepped forward and volunteered to do the rotten task. She saw it as the ultimate opportunity to share her faith with women in the prison whom she would otherwise never see. During her time in that prison, she led hundreds of women to Christ.

Kwang’s devotion was evident to all who knew her, but it came through much suffering. Before her imprisonment, she and her husband had volunteered to organize groups of evangelists who traveled around China, forming small house churches.

When Communist officials discovered Kwang’s activities, they beat her 12-year-old son to death. Still, she refused to deny Christ and even continued to build the house-church movement after her release.

Finally, in 1974, the Communists decided to make an example of “Mother Kwang,” as her church members now knew her. She was sentenced to life in prison, put in an underground cell with a bucket for sanitary needs, and fed only dirty rice.

She was miraculously released after 10 years and always looked back on her prison time as a gift—a special opportunity to share the love of Christ with people who might never have heard otherwise.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the

Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

Volunteerism is almost a professional occupation for some people. They volunteer at their children’s school, help with parent/teacher nights and help coach their children’s soccer teams. Volunteering for the not-so-popular opportunities can be more of a challenge. Often the volunteer spirit is nowhere to be found. Nursing homes, orphanages and shelters are the last places many people want to spend their time. The smell, depressing environment or other discomforts drive them away. But, where do you suppose Jesus would spend most of his time? Nearly any volunteer position involves necessary and admirable work, but listen carefully for the opportunities less travelled and with those less fortunate. Try being the first to volunteer the next time one comes you way.

Will we give up or grow?

Excerpted from Extreme Devotion, a devotional book that includes 365 true accounts of men and women who totally sold out for Jesus.

Day 17
Sudan: Sudanese Boys

“Say it with us!” the soldiers screamed, kicking and punching the boys’ faces and abdomens. “Allah is God, and Mohammed is his prophet. Say it!”

The four young Sudanese boys cried and screamed out for their mothers, but they refused to repeat the words that would mean saving their live yet renouncing their Christianity. Their red blood began to flow across their black skin, but they would not give up their faith in Christ.

The older teenage boys looked on in horror. They had seen their Southern Sudanese families murdered by sword-wielding Islamic fighters. Now they watched as their four young friends and relatives—the youngest only five years old—were beaten to death.

Already the soldiers had forced each older boy to lie over hot coals and ordered them to repeat the Muslim creed and join the Islamic faith. None of the boys would say the words despite the excruciating pain.

There were 14 boys and 13 girls abducted in the raid that day. The girls have never been located and were likely sold as slaves or concubines in Northern Sudan. All of the boys were tortured, but none relented. The next night, the older boys escaped, bearing the scars of the previous nights. Not one renounced his faith.

Pain often plays an important purpose in God’s plan. Unfortunately, there is no other experience that equals its ability to grasp and focus our attention. Physical pain from a long-standing illness or sudden injury gets the whole attention of the human body. The brain sends signals throughout the nervous system to focus the body’s resources on the source of trouble. In the same way, emotional pain is difficult to ignore as well. The anguish of losing someone we love to cruel circumstances like cancer or disease, persecution or injustice can be nearly overwhelming. Whatever situation introduces us to pain, we have two options for dealing with it. We can give up. Or, we can grow. Those who experience pain can be unique ministers of God’s grace. Like an athlete in training whose muscles must be broken down through strain and exercise in order to get stronger, pain is our pathway to new growth.

“Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” 1 Peter 4:16 NKJV