Daily Courage

[Judy Harder]

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. (Luke 22:31, 32)

Pastor Samuel Lamb

During the sixteenth year of my imprisonment something dramatic happened. All the prisoners - Christian and non-Christians - were called together to have a session of so-called self-criticism. Some Buddhists were asked to criticize Buddhism - others were asked to criticize Confucius. I was asked to criticize Christ.

I quickly prayed to God. "Sir, I cannot criticize or deny my God. He is the way, the truth and the life."

"Criticize" the man shouted, "it will benefit you." I thought: Will I be released after sixteen years instead of after twenty years? It would save me four years of hard labor. But then I thought: If I criticize Christ to come out of jail four years early, the sixteen years in jail would all have been in vain. I was trembling. Freedom so near - temptation so real.

Then the Scripture I mentioned came to my mind, "Be alert, your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith..." (1 Peter 5:. I also thought of Peter, who boasted in himself ... and fell. "O Lord, keep my faith" I cried. If Peter denied Him three times, I could easily deny Him thirty times, three hundred times. Thank God, He heard my prayer. In those twenty years in jail I have not denied the Lord once, not because I was so strong - but because the Lord protected me.

Praise be to Him and to Him alone. "I have prayed for you." Thank you Jesus.

Writer for the month - Samuel Lamb from China. This noted pastor was in prison for over 20 years. He is still under great pressure from the authorities. Hundreds attend his so-called House Church, especially young people. His story is available in a book Bold as a Lamb published by Zondervan, 1991.

[Judy Harder]

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

from Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,

He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.  (Hebrews 11:26)

Open Doors Contact Person

She is living in China, a young woman of merely thirty years of age. Her family moved to Canada. They were allowed to emigrate because of the many problems they had encountered in China.

Ding-Ding, that is her name, chose not to go with them but to remain in China. A hard decision to make for Ding-Ding was also choosing to suffer hardship in China. Yet she stayed. Her decision to remain was not taken overnight. She said, "There is so much work to be done here. The fields are ripe for harvest. God has called me to take the Gospel to the Chinese. The future is uncertain, but the Lord is with me. And His return is imminent. That is why I cannot leave. My people need Christ."

It is written about Moses that he regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ of greater value than the treasures of Egypt. The same can be said of Ding-Ding. And about many, many others like her. Are you one of those?

[Judy Harder]

This psalm is a lamentation, a lament to God.

The reason for it is not mentioned. Is it war, or perhaps suppression? Those who are innocent and weak are the ones first hit. The godless say, "There is no God."

The believer David cries out to God to intercede.

Not just to save the innocent, but also for the honor of His Name and His Kingdom.

David

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies.
The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.
You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
(Psalm 10:1-5, 16-18)

Copyright [C] 1995 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

[Judy Harder]

Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down,
You are familiar with all my ways.
(Psalm 139:1-3)

Remarkable Remarks - Trust and Confidence

Pakistani Christian:

"I would rather travel with God in the night, than travel alone in the day."

Corrie ten Boom - Holland:

"When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds."

Unknown:

"Patience is: trusting God to solve your problem, without setting a deadline for Him to do it."

Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."

Francis Ridley Havergal:

"Let us be calmed by the thought that what is hidden from us, is not hidden from Him."

Earl Riney:

"The stars are always shining, but often we do not see them until it is dark."  

[Judy Harder]

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

Joseph

The story of Joseph appeals to young and old alike. Joseph who went from pit to palace.  Joseph who kept his conscience clean and his character pure. Who was faithful under the most difficult circumstances. The man who resisted temptation. Who was unspoiled by sudden prosperity. Joseph who proved that "prison walls do not make a prison." Who enjoyed the presence of God and waited for his deliverance from God.

The man who answered cruelty with love and hatred with goodwill. Joseph, the perfect type of Christ. An outstanding young man. While we learn from him in the coming days, we acknowledge that we may not have all his gifts, but realize that we can practice all his principles. We may never reach his greatness, but we can show forth his goodness. To friends and foes alike. Resulting in the saving of many lives. Quite a challenge.

[Judy Harder]

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. (Genesis 37:5)

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you have a dream you can interpret it." "I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." (Genesis 41: 15, 16)

Joseph

Dreams are empty, the saying goes. That's how it seemed in Joseph's life. His brothers did not bow down before him, as he had dreamt; instead he had to bow deeply before them. No respect, but rejection. No throne but a prison. His dream world collapsed. Thirteen difficult years of imprisonment followed. From the age of seventeen until the age of thirty. What could have been the best years of his young life became the most difficult ones.

He could have asked (and maybe he did!) "What about my dreams?" In spite of all these "broken dreams" he remained faithful to God. No regrets, only service. Instead of complaining he proclaimed the greatness of God. Instead of dreaming about his past, he explained the dreams of others regarding the future.

His many years of imprisonment excelled in faithfulness, purity and servitude. As a result he was victorious despite the circumstances.  "...the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did" (Genesis 39:23).

Victorious living will always be the reward for those who live up to God's standards.  Why should you not be that person?

[Judy Harder]

November 1, 2009

Day by Day with the Persecuted Church,

Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. (Psalm 37:27, 28)

Joseph

Joseph was always motivated by principle, not by expediency. He would rather lose his freedom than his peace. He was stripped of his coat, but never of his character.

In his confrontation with Potiphar's wife he deliberately closed his eyes to sin and to worldly advantage. It was important for Joseph to stand in good stead with Potiphar's wife. To please her would secure his standing and reputation. To cross her would ruin his hopes of a better future. But he shut his eyes to worldly advantage and clung to moral principles. Joseph looked beyond the temporary. He saw eternal principles, timeless laws. He saw God. Had he given in to Potiphar's wife, he might have acquired temporary favors, but they would not have lasted, and he would not have become prime minister of Egypt. The secret: Joseph was walking in undisturbed fellowship with God. He was in touch with God, and consequently protected by God.

"Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever."

[Judy Harder]

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked ... he is like a tree planted by streams of water ... whatever he does prospers. (Psalm 1:1, 3)

Joseph

We might conclude that Joseph's magnificent moral victory would be rewarded by God. Instead, it was followed by more calamities.  He may well have asked, "Does godliness really pay?" That is also the big question in Psalm 73. The poet Asaph was confused about the prosperity of the wicked, and the troubles of the believers. "When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me ... till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny" (Psalm 73: 16, 17).

There is a price to be paid for godliness. Christians who suffer for their faith experience this almost daily. There certainly is a cost of discipleship, rejection, loss of friends, work, family, privilege. And yet throughout this daily devotionals you will read the triumphant testimonies of those who experienced persecution. They testify of victory, blessings and close intimate fellowship with God.

They made a choice. The best choice, as Joseph did, which leads to life and life abundantly.

[Judy Harder]

But one thing I do forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead. (Philippians 3:13)

Joseph

Joseph had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Manasseh means, God made me forget all my trouble. Ephraim means, God made me fruitful in the land of my sufferings.

Joseph wanted to forget the past. He wanted to be fruitful despite the circumstances. In giving names to his two sons he wanted to express that God brings good out of evil, privilege out of pain, triumph out of tragedy, hope out of despair.

In spite of any afflictions that may be yours today, do you want to be fruitful in the place where you are?

[Judy Harder]

By faith Joseph... (Hebrews 11:22)

Where, O death is your victory? ... thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57)

So Joseph died ... he was placed in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50:26)

Joseph

What a strange ending to a marvelous book. Is God's work ending in a poor mummy? No, it is not. These may be the closing words of Genesis, the book of beginnings, but if you read on you will come to the great Exodus.

Joseph knew that it would come: deliverance from persecution and the entering of the Promised Land.  That is why these last words of the book of Genesis are not pessimistic but instead full of hope. Joseph's bones were a constant reminder to the persecuted Jews that the day of their deliverance would come. Joseph did not know how or when; he was only certain it would happen.

We have no unburied bones to encourage our faith in a great future. We have an empty grave! Jesus is risen. The empty grave tells us that resurrection is certain. He is alive. He will be with us in times of trouble ... until He returns.

"For the Lord himself will rise first. After that we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

What a glorious moment that will be. What a hope. What a future. What a God. The best is yet to come.