"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives" - 2 Peter 3:11

In August 1961, Paul Toaspern was a theologian living in West Berlin. Suddenly, the Soviets decided to erect the concrete Berlin wall dividing East Berlin from West Berlin. Quickly recognizing the situation, Toaspern took his young family and moved to East Berlin, the opposite direction from the thousands of refugees who were pouring into the West.

Toaspern realized that the church in East Berlin would be persecuted and would need his theological expertise and his passion for missions. He quickly became one of East Germany's Christian leaders.

In 1986, American preacher Robert Roxbergh visited Toaspern. Roxbergh asked: "How are your kids doing? Are they at university?"

Toaspern replied: "Oh, they don't go to university. My children are very bright and academically would go far in university, but they will not join the Young Communist League, so they cannot go to university. But praise God, they're all training for the ministry."

Roxbergh then asked: "How about your parents, Paul?"

Toaspern answered: "Oh, my parents are dead. The sad thing is that when they were dying, the government wouldn't let me back to see them, so I had to shout to friends over the wall and ask how they were doing."

Toaspern willingly gave up his freedoms to follow Christ.

Holiness and godliness have a price, but the price is small in comparison to knowing Christ more deeply. Today in prayer, pursue Jesus Christ in every area of your life and seek to live a holy and godly life.

"When God and his glory are made our end, we shall find a silent likeliness pass in upon us; the beauty of God will, by degrees, enter upon our soul." - Stephen Charnock

God's Word: "Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined." - Titus 1:8

By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2003, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN THE BOOKS OF PETER pkennedy@devotional.com

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