Voice of the Martyrs

I received a booklet from Voice of the Martyrs. I'm sure I received it because I got on some mailing list. Yippee.

But sometimes what I receive is worthy of a look and is sometimes very interesting. I hate to promote unsolicited (junk) mail but sometimes that's the only way to reach people.

Inside the large envelope was a slick booklet with a story of a man holding a Bible kneeling in front of hole next to a pile of fresh dirt. The story with the photo was about a man in North Korea who risks his life to smuggle Bibles from China -1 per year - that he can store in a hole dug in the earth until he has the courage to give them away, or read them himself, or show his family. The story tells that people there routinely disappear if they are caught with a Bible. If they confess that they follow Christ, they are executed. Family members are beaten. Children are expected and trained to turn in parents who harbor Christian ideals, relics, etc.

I don't know if this is an organization to donate to. I haven't given them anything. The point of this post is.......

How blessed am I that I am able to freely, openly, unashamedly able to worship God! How blessed am I that I can study the Bible with a group of people any place we want! How blessed am I that I can have as many Bibles in as many translations as I want!

And yet, I take it all for granted. These people risk everything (except heaven) to hold a belief in Christ. They memorize the Bible because they can't openly hold one. They travel great distances under the cover of darkness so they have less chance of being caught just trying to get a Bible, any translation, any condition...so they can bury it in the ground for when they are able to gather the courage to handle it again. The man is quoted as saying he isn't ready to die yet. They don't tell the names of those who are executed for admitting they love Christ because the surviving family members, whether Christian or not, will also pay the price.

It is an amazing place we live, the United States of America. It is equally as amazing that there is a place where a person is killed for loving the Creator/Sustainer/Redeemer...and people die there all the time. North Korea, China, Iran, other places too.

Thank you God that I was born in a country where I don't have to be courageous to follow you. Thank you God that there are people who are courageous for you, leading by example of what it means to take up one's cross and follow you. If I am to do something in this situation, open my eyes to what that is then give me the courage and everything needed to do it. Amen.

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