Tuesday's Thoughts: "God Has Another Purpose That Is Greater Than My Loss"

 

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
(Matthew 5:10)

Members of an Ethiopian church

Picture courtesy/VOM

While international criminal courts and the current U.S. administration
are preoccupied with thinking up more cruel and unusual ways to humiliate
and punish the nation of Israel for merely defending themselves in a war with
  their enemies on several fronts,  little if any focus from the world media
has been given to the horrific genocide and persecution of Christian men,
women,  and children currently taking place across the continent of Africa.

An Ethiopian woman named Anjore was at home with her three small children
one day while her husband, a Christian leader in their village, was away at church.
Because her husband had converted from Islam to Christianity, local Muslim clerics
 had been pressuring him to return to Islam and convert the church into a mosque. 

Without warning, a howling mob of angry Islamists descended on Anjore's home.
She and her children ran for their lives.  When they returned, they found their
 house had been burned to the ground, their crops were destroyed, and their livestock
had either been stolen or killed.  Now a widow, Anjore and her children lived
for a time with five other homeless families beneath a tarp at the local church.

When speaking of the tragedy which had befallen herself and her family,
Anjore said, "When I saw the burned remains of my house, I decided from
that moment to put my trust in the Lord.  I simply realized that God has
another purpose that is greater than my loss.  Praise the Lord for
everything He has done.  Despite everything that has happened
in my life, I love Jesus."

With the help of the Voice of the Martyrs Ministries, Anjore has
found peace of mind as she seeks to rebuild her life in a new home.

Yet, there are thousands of other displaced Christians in Ethiopia and 
other African nations whose repressive governments indifferently
 look the other way while they are being tracked down and kidnapped or
killed by Islamic jihadists.  Like Anjore and her children, the survivors
 of these attacks are in great need of adequate shelter, food, clean water, 
 clothes,  shoes, basic heath and hygiene products, and of course, Bibles.

Please pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Africa and the
Middle East, and in many other nations across the world where the Bible
and the saving message of the Gospel are forbidden. 

You might also consider donating to the Voice of the Martyrs Ministries,
which would be a wonderful opportunity to help those who have lost
 everything because of their Christian witness know that they are not forgotten.