I read an article recently by the late pastor Richard Wurmbrand. He related a story of a fellow prisoner that occurred during one of his fourteen years of imprisonment in which he suffered for his faith. Here is my paraphrase:
A Pastor was arrested and taken from his family. The officials beat and tortured him because he would not renounce his faith. The interrogator, a communist officer said, "I am tired of beating you. Instead, we will deport you to Siberia.”
The Pastor replied, "Where can you deport me? The whole earth belongs to God. Wherever you send me I will be with Him."
This angered the officer. He said, "We will take everything away you own." The Pastor said, "You can take all I have, but my treasure is in heaven and you will need a very tall ladder. I have nothing on Earth."
The officer shouted, "We will kill you!" The Pastor replied "You can take away my life and my real life will begin. I am not afraid to die." The official then said, "We will not kill you! We will lock you alone in a cell and we won’t let anyone visit you.” The Pastor replied "I will not sit alone in a cell. God can pass through locked doors and iron bars. Nothing can separate me from the love of Christ."
Paul who also suffered imprisonment for his faith gives us this direction:
2nd Timothy 2: 11-13
It is a trustworthy statement:
For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
God has blessed us with perfect provision for our needs and then heaped blessing on top. We are warm, fed, entertained, housed, dressed and loved. In addition I have a house full of books with only about 70% read. The closets and pantries are full. I have a trunk of keepsakes too. Some of these things are necessities and some of them are purely sentimental. For those that know me best; Yes, I can be sentimental. But there is nothing in my home that I would not trade for any of those that I love. The question came to mind… Would I trade any of those that I love for the One that loves me?
Matthew 6:19-21 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Recently, I was asked, “What do you want most in the world?” The answer that immediately came to mind was; I wanted my children to be saved, willing to live and if need be, die for the Lord. The question is to show what matters most to you. I have struggled in the past with the question: How do I keep from loving all that the Lord has given me more than the Giver? I have come to believe that if my treasure is the Lord’s will then it is safely stored in heaven, entrusted to Him. I have committed all I love to Him and He has my treasure and my heart.
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Jan. 2, 2008 - Untitled Comment
--Barbara