A Formal Baptism Could Mean Death

Today's devotion comes from the book Extreme Devotion.  I pray as you read it, you feel the love of Christ as you consider the devotion of these believers to Christ.  May it spur you on to love and good deeds.

***** 

“This gift is for you.”

    “What is it?” the missionary asked his friend while preparing to go into North Korea.
    

   “Just take it. You’ll know when to open it.”

    Disguised as a businessman, the missionary journeyed into North Korea. He was assigned a Communist guide with a penchant for long naps.
    

Seeing his opportunity, the missionary quietly left the hotel while his “guide” slept. He entered a nearby village and met up with a small group of believers. As soon as they realized the young missionary was an ordained minister, they said, “You must baptize us! We have waited for someone to baptize us!”
    

In a land where possessing a Bible can mean a fifteen-year sentence, a formal baptism could mean certain death.
    

Without any lake or river nearby, the missionary simply prayed over the believers one by one as a symbol of their faith. But to his amazement they were not satisfied. “We have waited forty years for Communion.”
    

One of the believers immediately brought out some rice cakes. The missionary thought. “They had had a baptism without water, maybe they could have Communion without drink.” Then he remembered the “gift” his friend handed him before going into North Korea. He quickly grabbed his travel bag and took out the package—a bottle of wine. Speechless, each villager wept openly, praising God for his timely gift.

While most people in modern culture could not imagine life without a calendar and a clock, God keeps his own time. He is not driven by the tyranny of the urgent. However, we must learn patience in order to happily live within his timing. Patience means trusting God is at work, even when we don’t see the evidence. Patience is the principle of delayed gratification. When we wait for God’s blessings in our lives, we appreciate them so much more. What we wait for, we value more. Whether it is a rice-cake Communion or a specific need in our lives, God’s timing is certain. What concerns you regarding God’s timing in your life? Is it time for you to trust him?