The Joy Set Before Us
Tonight I want to share the words of a disciple of Christ. Richard Wurmbrand spent a total of 13 years in prison, enduring unimaginable persecution. His crime was sharing Love with Russians and Romanians in communist Romania. Quotations in this post are from his book, Tortured for Christ.
"A Christian was sentenced to death. Before being executed, he was allowed to see his wife. His last words to his wife were, 'You must know that I die loving those who kill me. They don't know what they do and my last request of you is to love them, too. Don't have bitterness in your heart because they kill your beloved one. We will meet in heaven.' ...
"If a poor man is a great lover of music, he gives his last dollar to listen to a concert. He is then without money, but he does not feel frustrated. He has heard beautiful things.
"I do not feel frustrated to have lost so many years in prison. I have seen beautiful things. I myself have been among the weak and insignificant ones in prison, but have had the privilege to be in the same jail with great saints, heroes of faith who equalled the Christians of the first centuries. They went gladly to die for Christ. The spiritual beauty of such saints and heroes of faith can never be described."
"Christians were hung upside down on ropes and beaten so severely that their bodies swung back and forth under the blows. Christians were put in ice-box 'refrigerator cells' which were so cold, frost and ice covered the inside. I was thrown into one with very little clothing on. Prison doctors would watch through an opening until they saw symptoms of freezing to death, then they would give a warning and guards would rush in to take us out and make us warm. When we were finally warmed, we would immediately be put back in the ice-box cells to freeze - over and over again! ...
"We Christians were put in wooden boxes only slightly larger than we were. This left no room to move. Dozens of sharp nails were driven into every side of the box, with their razor-sharp points sticking into the box."
And the list goes on. Only one man's experience, echoing centuries.
What about Shakeela, who in 2009 was beaten to death for trying to warn her Pakistani church of an impending attack?
What about the estimated 100,000 martyrs just in 2012, a number that is ever rising?
We live in a world desensitized, distracted, and hypnotized. Does this wake you up?
This is the flag I fly. This is the cause I stand for. This is my pride, my joy, and my sorrow. This is victory. This. Is. Love. And yes, love wins.
Whose flag are you flying? Perspective, my friends.
"A Christian was sentenced to death. Before being executed, he was allowed to see his wife. His last words to his wife were, 'You must know that I die loving those who kill me. They don't know what they do and my last request of you is to love them, too. Don't have bitterness in your heart because they kill your beloved one. We will meet in heaven.' ...
"If a poor man is a great lover of music, he gives his last dollar to listen to a concert. He is then without money, but he does not feel frustrated. He has heard beautiful things.
"I do not feel frustrated to have lost so many years in prison. I have seen beautiful things. I myself have been among the weak and insignificant ones in prison, but have had the privilege to be in the same jail with great saints, heroes of faith who equalled the Christians of the first centuries. They went gladly to die for Christ. The spiritual beauty of such saints and heroes of faith can never be described."
"Christians were hung upside down on ropes and beaten so severely that their bodies swung back and forth under the blows. Christians were put in ice-box 'refrigerator cells' which were so cold, frost and ice covered the inside. I was thrown into one with very little clothing on. Prison doctors would watch through an opening until they saw symptoms of freezing to death, then they would give a warning and guards would rush in to take us out and make us warm. When we were finally warmed, we would immediately be put back in the ice-box cells to freeze - over and over again! ...
"We Christians were put in wooden boxes only slightly larger than we were. This left no room to move. Dozens of sharp nails were driven into every side of the box, with their razor-sharp points sticking into the box."
And the list goes on. Only one man's experience, echoing centuries.
What about Shakeela, who in 2009 was beaten to death for trying to warn her Pakistani church of an impending attack?
What about the estimated 100,000 martyrs just in 2012, a number that is ever rising?
We live in a world desensitized, distracted, and hypnotized. Does this wake you up?
This is the flag I fly. This is the cause I stand for. This is my pride, my joy, and my sorrow. This is victory. This. Is. Love. And yes, love wins.
Whose flag are you flying? Perspective, my friends.
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