Who do you want me to love for you today?

In 1 John 3:14 we read: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other.”

In World War Two, Japan occupied Korea. There were religious shrines set up all over the place and people were expected to bow down to them. Esther Ahn Kim was a Christian who refused.

She sensed she would be sent to hard prison for this refusal. She knew life in prison would be difficult, so she intentionally started to eat rotten foods to prepare herself ahead of time for what she would probably be served in prison.

She sang hymns over and over so that they would be imprinted on her heart. She memorized hundreds of Bible chapters because she knew she would not be allowed to keep her copy. She spent time praying and fasting.

Esther had a daily prayer: “God, who do you want me to love for you today?”

Sure enough, she was sent to prison and it was horrible. One night another woman was brought in who had been accused of killing her husband. She moaned and banged on the cell bars.

She held this woman’s feet at night to keep them warm. For three days she gave over her own food portion to nourish and strengthen this other troubled prisoner.

Over time, trust grew and they talked. She learned about Jesus and eventually came to believe in him!

Shortly after, she was killed for her crime, but went on to live in eternity with God.

We can’t always control what situations we are in; but God can use us in whatever situations we are in!

“God, who do you want me to love for you today?”

Notes:

–Today’s devotional is thematically related to my latest PODCAST is called “Courage and holy boldness no matter what.” It is an in-depth look at Acts 4:1-31. Click here to listen, or look for ‘The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan’ wherever you subscribe to podcasts: iTunes (Apple), Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or TuneIn.

–*This is told in her biography and is recounted in: Francis Chan, Forgotten God: Reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2009), 97-99.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.