True Religion

This is religion, "to build all upon the everlasting mountains of God's love and grace in Christ, to look continually at Christ's infinite righteousness and merits, to see the full guilt and defilement of sin pardoned and washed away; in these views to pray, hear, etc., knowing your polluted self, and all your weak performances, accepted continually; in these views to trample upon all self-righteousness, and to be found continually in the righteousness of Christ only (Philippians 3:9), that Christ alone, as Mediator, may be exalted in His throne; mourning over all your duties which you have not performed, in the sight and sense of Christ's love." Without the blood of Christ on the conscience, all is dead service (Hebrews 9:14).

~Thomas Wilcox, Honey Out of the Rock, page 18-19

Trust in the Midst of Trials

I ran across this poem in a book that I am reading and thought it was especially encouraging. How amazing that someone could say such things even when they are in the midst of a seemingly unbearable trial. I hope that if I am ever placed in these circumstances I might be given Grace to bless God and say the same things this poet said:

I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea
Come drifting home with broken masts and sails;
I will believe the Hand that never fails,
From seeming evil works to good for me.
And though I weep because those sails are tattered,
Still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered:
"I trust in Thee."

I will not doubt, though all my prayers return
Unanswered from the still, white realm above;
I will believe it is an all-wise love
That has refused these things for which I yearn;
And thought at times I cannot keep from grieving,
Yet the pure passion of my fixed believing
Undimmed will burn.

I will not doubt, though sorrows fall like rain,
And troubles swarm like been about a hive.
I will believe the heights for which I strive
Are only reached by anguish and by pain;
And though I groan and writhe beneath my crosses,
Yet I will see through my severest losses
The greater gain.

I will not doubt. Well anchored is this faith,
Like some staunch ship, my soul braves every gale;
So strong its courage that it will not fail
To face the mighty unknown seas of death.
Oh, may I cry, though body leaves the spirit,
"I do not doubt," so listening worlds may hear it,
With my last breath.

~Author Unknown

I Will be Still

I will be still, my bruised heart faintly murmured,
As o'er me rolled a crushing load of woe;
My words, my cries, e'en my low moan was stifled;
I pressed my lips; I barred the teardrop's flow.

I will be still, although I cannot see it,
The love that bares a soul and fans pain's fire;
What takes away the last sweet drop of solace,
Breaks the lone harp string, hides Your precious lyre.

God is love, so I will stay me, stay me--
We'll doubt not, Soul, we will be very still;
We'll wait til after while, when He will lift us--
Yes, after while, when it will be His will.

And I did listen to my heart's brave promise;
And I did quiver, struggling to be still;
I did lift my tearless eyes to Heaven,
Repeating ever, "Yes, Christ, have Your will."

But soon my heart spoke up from 'neath our burden,
Rebuked my tight-drawn lips, my face so sad:
"We can do more than this, O Soul," it whispered.
"We can be more than still, we can be glad!"

And now my heart and I sweetly singing--
Singing without the sound of tuneful strings;
Drinking abundant waters in the desert;
Crushed, and yet soaring as on eagle's wings.

~S.P.W.

A Woman Healed

"As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you." But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." Luke 8:42-48

I was thinking as I read this passage about the character of this woman. The bible says that the crowds were about to crush Jesus. This means that in getting to Christ, the woman was meeting with substantial resistance. It was a real struggle for her to press in and reach the Lord. She also had great faith because she knew that if she could only touch his cloak she would be healed; he did not even need to speak a word to her. Lastly, she showed great humility. This issue of blood had to be quite humbling for her, but she was not afraid to stand up in front of the crowd and acknowledge the fact that she was in need of Jesus' healing. She even testified of his power in healing her even though others might have looked down on her. I personally feel that I have a lot to learn from this passage. Even just in the area of pressing in to know more of Christ, we Christians can meet with great resistance. Sometimes it is our own lack of faith that is standing in our way of going deeper with the Lord Jesus.

Thoughts on the Shepherd

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psalm 23:1-3

"Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9:36

"...For out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel." Matthew 2:6

"What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish." Matthew 18:12-14

What rejoicing we should harbor in our hearts that He was not content with the ninety-nine, but sought us out in our sins! Not only that, but He did not leave us to care for ourselves once we were found. He is the Shepherd of Souls and continues saving and keeping us day by day.

Persecution in India

"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." Hebrews 13:3 I read this verse tonight in my daily reading and was reminded again of the importance of praying for persecuted Christians. I decided to look up current information on the situation in Orissa, India because I had not heard any updates on it for a while. Orissa is a state located on the eastern coast next to West Bengal. I found VOM's latest, along with a short but compelling video of a mother and her son telling about the persecution in Orissa and about the martyrdom of their husband and father. I would encourage you to watch the video (located toward the bottom of the link page) and continue praying. Here is the link: http://www.persecution.com/topStory_standingForJesusInOrissa.html

Standing For Jesus In Orissa
"Nothing will happen to me. They know and respect me. Nobody will harm me."
Those were the last words Pastor Kantheswar Digal spoke to his son Rajendra and his wife, Karpul.
A Christian for more than 50 years, Pastor Digal was one of the few believers living in the small village of Sankarakhole, in Orissa state, India. He was well-known by the Hindus who shared his neighborhood. Yet, his son says, the family lived there in relative peace.
"We had no enemies there," Rajendra told our VOM workers about his small hometown. "We could practice our faith in Christ comfortably with no problems with anybody locally."
Nonetheless, on Aug. 24, 2008, when Hindu radicals began violent attacks against Christians throughout Orissa, venomous threats by agitators forced the Digal family to leave their village.
"They told my husband you better leave," says Karpul. "He should leave his house and go away if he wanted to stay a Christian because they were not going to allow any Christians to stay in our village."

The Worst of the Worst
The brutality against Orissa Christians spawned by Hindu fundamentalists was unflinchingly complete. Homes were burned. Churches were destroyed. People were killed. The entire Digal family fled their small village in the Kandhalmal district to the slums of the state's capital. All eight members were forced to live in a one-room, wooden shack.
On Sept. 20, 2008, Pastor Digal left his family in the makeshift shelter they had carved out for themselves. Over their objections he went to their home village to check on their house and livestock.
Pastor Digal was traveling on a local bus to his destroyed home when it was stopped by 18 Hindu radicals. What happened next was a horror unimaginable.
The radicals dragged Pastor Digal off the crowded, dusty bus. They ignored the sickening crunch of bone as both his legs broke. They proceeded to torture him, demanding that he return to Hinduism.
"I am a strong believer in Jesus Christ," Pastor Digal said. "You may kill me but I will never become Hindu."
The 18 men began to beat Pastor Digal. They tied his hands and legs. Witnesses watched as they stripped him of his clothes leaving nothing but a shirt. They burned his face and tortured him in unspeakable ways. Then they dumped this limp body in a creek where it floated for days.

"We Never Got Angry"
Fourteen days later, after frantically calling around Orissa trying to find his father, Rajendra saw his mother on a local television broadcast. She held a black and white photo of his father. He was dead, killed by radical Hindus because he was a Christian. Even though she lost her husband Karpul says "we never got angry after hearing about the news about my husband's killing."
Her son agrees. "I do not carry anger towards them because my Jesus was once also killed on the cross for all mankind, for the entire sinful world," Rajendra said. "My father dedicated his life for my village for people who still did not know Christ. I think for my village, my father also was killed. And by the sacrifice of his own life, they may know Jesus Christ and accept him as their only Lord and personal savior. "
The Digals were one of the hundreds of people helped by VOM ministry partners, thanks to our readers. They received help with relocation, food and other basic necessities. But the aftermath of the horrific violence in Orissa has left tens of thousands of Indian Christians without homes, jobs or stability. In January the government closed the relief camps in Orissa leaving thousands homeless and without protection. Even with the uncertainty, Orissa Christians say they are strengthened by the prayers and love of Christians all over the world. Your love allows them to remain bold for Christ.
"We strongly believe that Christians all over the world are praying for us," says Rajendra. "We are also praying for all of them. (Praying) that everyone should stand firm for witnessing for Jesus throughout their life."

Hebrews 12:1-3

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."