"Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls..." Jeremiah 6:16
Many times the church and individual Christians have had to stand up and be counted in the midst of great opposition and even persecution. Lessons from the past can prepare us for the struggles of our future. If we learn from the past we may even be able to avoid the horrible consequences of letting evil men and women control entire communities with Godless laws and immoral rulings.
Politicians, teachers, mayors, school boards, and even pastors can all be wrong. These governmental and community reigns of terror can be avoided if Christians will pray and seek God's will for their public and private lives. Being involved and taking a public stand can help move people in a Godly direction.
Karl Barth was one of the most significant Protestant theologians of the twentieth century. He said "Jesus Christ, such as Scripture bears witness of Him for us, is the one Word of God the we must hear, the Word we must trust, and the Word we must obey in life and death." It is obvious that he was so actively opposed to horrible treatment of the Jews during WWII. He felt so strongly that he was "dismissed from a teaching post in Bonn for refusing to salute or show loyalty to Hitler."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was also an advocate on behalf of the Jews. His opposition helped many Jews to escape into Switzerland. He helped members of the military resistance draft memoranda on a future democratic government should the regime be toppled. After many years of struggle against Hitler he was arrested and hanged in the concentration camp at Flossenburg on April 9,1945. His death showed that he was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that God could work through his life to help the Jewish people.
Among the Catholics there were still a few who could not stand by and let innocent people be killed. One man, Father Litchenbuerg, was one that refused to be silent. "He had publicly spoken out against Nazi policies, ending each Mass with prayers for intercession on behalf of the Jews. Litchenberg was eventually arrested and served 2 years of penal servitude, upon his release he was arrested again and died on route to Dachau.
These people and their Churches helped countless numbers of Jewish people as they were trying to flee the country. These and so many more that we may never know about took on the call to action and decided that they could not watch the Nazi's take over not only the Jewish people's lives but the lives of the Christian church as well. It is impossible to realize how many were affected by the actions of these Godly people in their effort to save the Jewish people from their persecutions.
Daily prayer focus: Pray that you will have the courage to stand up and serve Jesus and your fellow man even if it is not politically correct or profitable.
On The Go Prayer Focus: The physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial needs of people hurting all over the United States and Worldwide. As God gives us opportunity in times of crisis we need to rapidly move to help.
Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.
On The Go Daily Devotion for November 12, 2017
Brought to you each day by On The Go Ministries / Keith Cook Team
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