Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Romans 12:14
At the early age of eleven, Sam was living a pious Muslim life in the southern Philippines. He prayed at mosques on Fridays and fasted during Ramadan. Sam was the only one of his siblings sent to school where he excelled both in classroom and sports. He was everybody’s favourite, popular and well-loved.
But everything changed one afternoon. After school, Sam passed by his grandfather’s house who happened to be a Christian. He saw a maroon book with ‘Kitab Injil’ (The Gospel) written on the cover. He opened it and started reading. “I was drawn to Jesus because his teachings were so different...Help the needy, obey and respect parents, do not be a false witness...they were not taught in Islam. Before that, I only knew to repay evil with evil.”
So Sam committed his life to following Jesus and His teachings in the Bible. He was just a fifth grader then. Although he was the only Christian in his family, Sam’s parents and siblings respected his new faith. But outside his home, among his friends, it was a different story. “You’re a kafir
(infidel)! You are not my friend anymore.”
It was very painful for Sam to be deserted by his friend. His classmates at grade school kept a good distance from him. Some mocked him, calling him kafir. There were times during classes when kids would throw their shoes at him. They bullied him by writing stuffs on his uniform, filling his bag with sand, and even punching him.
One day, a friend-turned-enemy yelled at him. “You Christians are filthy! Christians are garbage!” Sam cried and ran home. There were times when he was tempted to fight back, but he remembered the words of Jesus to love the enemies, to bless and not curse. In his heart, he prayed for those who bullied him and repaid them with a kind smile instead.
Sam, now seventeen, has endured physical harassment, insults, and discrimination from friends and school mates for boldly telling them that he is a Christian.
After Sam joined the Open Doors’ discipleship program for MBB youths, he has become even bolder in seizing every opportunity to share his faith in Jesus. Sam knows that doing so might cost him his life someday.
“When I think of my friends, my heart breaks. I lost them, and though they turned out to be my enemies, I don’t hate them. Instead, I pray for them that one day they will meet my Lord Jesus and be changed.”
RESPONSE: Jesus wants me to not repay evil with evil but rather love, bless and pray for those who are my enemies.
PRAYER: Help me Lord to live among those who oppose me with the character of Jesus and respond to them with love and not hate.
Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS) A daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks
© 2011 Open Doors International.
Tuesday Morning - 5:25AM
It is with a very heavy heart I write this morning,
Yesterday when I wrote of the valleys in life devotional below and discerned a valley
ahead that appeared to be long came to pass last night... My
youngest son Michael ended his life at the end of a lonely stretch of
road facing Lock 3 in Sun, LA...
GOD had a plan for Michael, unfortunately he was not listening... Please pray for his mother, wife and children... As for me except for an ever climbing blood pressure, I pray I will be ok...
Richard
Last Minute post from yesterday and felt the need to share:
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Good Morning & Happy Monday,
__Sometimes the circumstances of our daily lives seem so uncertain... Over the years, I have walked many valleys... Some were tolerable (slight distractions) while others made me wonder WHY should I continue on (End-of-the-world situations)...
__satan is ALWAYS ready to attack when we are in one of these valleys with Words to discourage us, fill our emotions with anger and bitterness, even try to convince us that there is NO HOPE LEFT in our lives and that DEATH is the only path to take...
__Whether it was a discouraging word from a well meaning friend or the end of the world situation that makes us cry "WHY ME LORD"!!! It's NOT the END of The WORLD... For the Born Againto be in GOD's Presence for all eternity, We couldn't be that LUCKY... REMEMBER! GOD has a PLAN... It will get better, it always does...
p.s. So far my Monday has been better than my Friday or Saturday, I have thrown myself into my work, focus is better, but still not 100% on the LORD as the occasional distraction pops up... Continued prayers, for the Spurlock Family and their unspoken prayer request, are appreciated as this may be a longer valley than usual...
Have a Blessed Day,
Richard
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