Many can't fathom the grace of our Heavenly Father, even though they are active
in their religion. They are always busy, so busy that they don't have time to be
with God. No wonder they cannot appreciate grace. Many among them end up
burned-out!
Strength can only be obtained in in a quiet, secluded place. Hope can only occur
when we are not tempted to role-play before our Father. Grace can only become a
reality when we simply and honestly come before our Father, for it is only then
that our focus shifts from ourselves to our Heavenly Father. Once we realize
that our Father is amidst us, grace will flow forth.
Let's remember that this grace was obtained at a very high cost: Jesus gave his
life so that we could be reconciled with our Father once again. All of us have
wandered away to destruction, but now we have the opportunity to experience Him
fully once again. His grace will fill us to the top. Honesty truly pays off,
while role-playing will leave us wanting.
Jane Haining, a Scottish Missionary to the Jewish children in Budapest in 1932,
knew her priorities: loving God and others. She often took the time to talk with
our Father in a quiet place. She always genuinely shared everything with Him. He
became her everything.
Jane, with her heavy Scottish accent, was very popular in Budapest. Many amongst
the children attending her school were orphans. They loved her, for she
genuinely loved each one of her students.
World War 2 broke out while she was on leave in Scotland, but nothing would stop
her from leaving immediately for Budapest. She had to be there to protect her
Jewish students. Soon missionaries living on mainland Europe were called back to
the safety of their own countries. Here again, Jane went to a secluded place to
receive confirmation of our Father's will. She realized then that she couldn't
leave her students. If children needed her in days of sunshine, how much more
she needed to be with them during the dark days of the war, and during those
darkest times, when Jews were persecuted relentlessly by the Nazis, she tried
everything in her power to protect those children.
Sadly, someone denounced her to the Gestapo. She was arrested and thrown in a
dark cell. She was accused of being a spy and of helping Jews. Later she was
deported with her Jewish children to Auschwitz, and on August 16, 1944, she went
to the gas chamber with a group of Hungarian women. She gave her life for her
children, just as Jesus did. She had a heart after God's own heart.
Role-playing leads nowhere. We need genuine believers who will make a difference
in this world, just as Jesus did: "Anyone who claims to be intimate with God
ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived." (1John 2:6, MSG) This can only
be made possible by spending time with our father.
I wonder if we would have been willing to die for these persecuted Jewish
children?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.