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Could Others Depend on You?

  • Writer: Linda Pue
    Linda Pue
  • Jan 30, 2023
  • 5 min read

Updated: Sep 11, 2023


Huddled together in the forbidding prison, the inmates quoted Scripture while one performed the role of scribe, penning the memorized verses in a notebook. One of those prisoners, Houmayoun, related the story of his three-year imprisonment in Iran after being charged with apostasy. Saved out of drug abuse, he had a tender heart for addicts so was zealous to share the gospel with them. As Houmayoun recounted, “In the eyes of Iranian authorities, it was better to be a Muslim with a drug addiction than a Christian who didn’t use drugs.”[1]


Lifted Above Your Own Self-Interest As I considered those Iranian prisoners who encouraged one another with the Word, I

pondered, “How much could I contribute to that Bible notebook?” If others depended on me for my Scriptural knowledge, would they be encouraged and filled with the bread of life, the living water, or would they be left with little to fill the hungry, dry places of their souls? It was a sobering thought. We might imagine that we would never be imprisoned, that this could never happen in our country. But sadly, many have been surprised at the suddenness in which they find themselves in such situations.


For instance, Jimmy Lai, a recently arrested Hong Kong billionaire entrepreneur and media executive, could have fled the country when the Chinese Communists were taking over. Instead, he stayed to support the pro-democracy movement and opened a newspaper embracing such freedom. In an interview he said, "When you lift yourself above your own self-interest, you find the meaning of life. You find you're doing the right thing, which is so wonderful. It changed my life into a different thing." Lai is a strong Catholic and remarked as he headed to prison, “If you believe in the Lord, if you believe that all suffering has a reason, and the Lord is suffering with me ... I'm at peace with it."[2]


Lai’s testimony exemplifies the truth of Psalm 19:10-11 that explains how the law of the LORD (Scripture) is more to be desired than much fine gold and is sweeter than the honeycomb. When He was imprisoned, Jimmy Lai could not take one cent of the billions he had earned. However, he realized that something much more precious accompanied him to that dreadful place: his Savior, who would suffer alongside him as well as the invaluable Word of God that would comfort him. Hopefully, he is sharing the hope that lies within him with his fellow prisoners, just as Houmayoun did with his Iranian inmates.


The Contents of Her Thoughts! We might be tempted to think, “Well, those are Communist or Islamic regimes. This couldn’t happen to those who live in democracies.” But could it? Just ask Isabel Vaughn-Spruce who lives in England. As she was standing alone quietly, praying silently on a sidewalk outside a closed abortion clinic (something she has done for years), she was accosted by police. Her crime? Someone complained that she might be praying silently in her mind!


This charity worker was arrested and charged on four counts for silent prayer “thought crime” near an abortion facility: “Isabel’s physical presence in the censorship zone wasn’t a crime in itself, it was the contents of her private thoughts that were prohibited.”[3] As Isabel, a pro-life Christian, was growing up in her beloved England, she probably never imagined that one day she could be detained by police and jailed for her private thoughts.


This Could Never Happen to Us? We live in uncertain and often frightening times. Even here in the USA, we are experiencing unprecedented attacks against Christian liberties. For instance, pro-life Christians and their ministries have faced ongoing attacks as officials charge them with crimes for maintaining their beliefs in the workplace. Further, Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker[4] who declined to make a cake for a gay wedding, is another example of one who has endured ongoing litigation by state authorities for exercising his faith. Such government and social hostility toward Christianity can be discouraging. However, we believers can and must prepare for further persecution that may come.


For example, every January, the leaders of my church encourage our congregation to daily read or listen to the Scriptures. They provide both written and on-line tools to help us explore the Bible in an organized way. As we engage in this practice, by the end of the year hopefully the entire Bible will take hold of our minds and be applied to our hearts.


Memorize and Meditate

Another practice my church promotes is the memorization of and meditation on the Scriptures. As a church body, one year we memorized Romans 8; this year we are working on Romans 12. Verse 2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Throughout the Bible, we are encouraged to reflect upon God’s Word for when we turn to it, we turn to God Himself as these verses illustrate:


* “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”

(Psalm 119:11)

* “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

* “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” (Joshua 1:8).

* “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in

the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)

* “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)


We daily observe and experience the darkness that is covering our world. However, Jesus is the Savior, the Light of the World who pierces that darkness. In the same way, we know that we also are the Light of the World, for Jesus says,

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do

people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to

all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they

may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

(Matthew 5:14-16)


Let us, therefore, value, love, and hide the precious Word of God in our hearts and minds as we have the freedom to do so. For someday, we may be called upon to provide for others the bread of life and the living water that we have hidden in our hearts.


Will we be ready?

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[1]"The Prison Bible." The Voice of the Martyrs. www.vomusa.org.

 
 

© 2024 by Linda Pue

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