SCRIPTURE: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord bestows grace and favor and honor; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11 AMP
THOUGHT: I read a commentary by a scientist who escaped communist China this week. He quoted Mao Zedong as saying, “It is so rewarding (with endless joy) to fight against heaven, against earth, and against people.”
Let that settle for a moment in your western, freedom-loving, Christian mind.
No historians agree on the number of people Mao killed during his regime, but estimates vary upwards of 50 million. His joy was fighting against heaven, earth, and people. Among his comments was also this advice: “Don’t make a fuss about a world war. At most, people die… Half the population wiped out – this happened quite a few times in Chinese history… It’s best if half the population is left, next best one-third.”
Why do I mention these quotes in a devotional to start your week? Because we are, once again, in a conflict perpetrated by a communist leader who cares little for life. We need to know what we’re up against. We need to see the stark contrast between the life-hating god(s) of this world and the one true God who loved life enough to create it, sustain it, and sacrifice his own life to save it. A God who is sun and shield, offering light in darkness and protection. A God who defines and embodies love, who bestows grace and favor and honor; not a hammer to crush people as Mao saw himself, saying, “Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy.”
The Psalmist promised of God, No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly and it is a promise we need to hold onto with all heart and both hands.
PRAYER: Moses once stood before your people and offered them a choice, oh Father, a choice that echoes throughout history wherever people trust you: “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him (Deut. 30:19-20 NIV).” May we again, and always, choose life.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
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