Devoted to growth.
In years past I heard about a Christian Vietnamese interpreter by the name of Hien Pham. Hien was working with US troops in Vietnam in 1971 when the Viet Cong took over Vietnam. Hien was locked up in prison for aiding US troops and US missionaries in their work. The Communists tried for months to indoctrinate him with Communist propaganda and anti-Christian materials. The toll of heavy anti-biblical materials was overwhelming for him. He was finally at the breaking point and promised himself that the very next day he would surrender to the anti-Christian approach. He would stop praying and meditating on the Words of God he had hidden in his heart over the years. (He had no physical Bible with him.)
The next morning, he was forced to go and clean the latrines. This noticeably foul work seemed to be an added layer of stench on his dying faith. As he pulled out the waste bin for the toilet, he noticed that one of the soiled pieces of paper had English words sprawled across it. He quickly washed it off and pocketed it. That night after his bunkmates were asleep, he took out the paper and discovered that it contained the words of Romans 8:28-39.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him….for I am convinced that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." // Romans 8:28-39
Those words became an immediate beacon of hope for him. He knew that God had arranged for him to clean the latrine on that very morning and he knew that there was possibly no better Scripture for a person on the verge of letting go of his faith in God; God had rescued and sustained his faith. And this awakened Hien’s devotion to the Word of God.
This renewed devotion pushed Hien to go further. Hien requested latrine duty on a permanent basis and it was gladly granted. He was so intensely hungry for another word from God that he would surmount the stench and filth of latrine duty if it meant he could pocket even one more page from God’s Word. And he did - apparently one of the officers was daily using the Bible as his own personal toilet paper. God used this for the good of Hien. God’s love would not let Hien be separated from Jesus Christ. It was this love from God that refocused and re-energized Hien’s growth in the faith. The same goes for you and I.
Growth bounds out of God’s devotion to us. His devotion ignites an intense longing in us to learn more about God and his Word. After hearing the first sermon of the New Testament Church by Peter in Acts 2, a large number of those who were gathered experienced that longing for more too. The Church grew from about 120 to 3000, and “they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” // Acts 2:42
The word devoted means to continue to do something with an intense effort. Are we [am I] devoted to the Word of God so that growth continues? Is there an intense effort in reading the Word of God, studying the Word of God, meditating on the Word of God so that it produces and expands our faith?
Real growth isn’t done once someone is added to the number of believers. Much like the first peak of the crocus out of chilled spring dirt, growth has only just begun. The whole life of a believer is to be one of growth. Real growth continues beyond that first burst of life. Real growth involves routinely being in the Word.
May the love of our Savior Jesus continue to reach our inner soul and create a yearning and a hunger for more. Jesus’ love and forgiveness and strength for the wearied and the worried creates and builds an intense longing for more. As we be the Church by leaning into that longing and routinely—devotedly—reading, studying, and meditating on the Word of God, our faith will grow.
We have the privilege of looking into yet another inspired Word from God from Acts 3 this coming Sunday. As we study Acts 3:1-10, we’ll see how giving fits what it means to be the Church. May God continue to inspire you with his eternal love and commitment found in Jesus Christ.
Blessings to you!
Pastor Al