“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21).
BETTY WAS STILL A STUDENT when she wrote that it is not really a sacrifice that we make when we consecrate ourselves to God. Rather, what we do is “give Him some of the trivial things that we have been clinging to,” because it is when our hands are empty that God fills them with His treasures.”
After finishing her higher education studies, Betty prepared for her life’s dream: to be a missionary. At the conclusion of her in 1931, she was accepted to serve in the China Inland Mission (CIM), and traveled there that same year. Her fiancé, John, was also accepted, and traveled to China in 1932. In 1933, they married and soon established their residence in Tsingteh, Anhwei province. A year later, Helen Priscilla was born.
Shortly after they began their missionary work, a wave of anti-Christian violence arose. It was December 7, 1934, when communist soldiers invaded Tsingteh. Betty was bathing Helen Priscilla when they learned of the impending attack. With no time to escape, John prayed, “For this we have come at this hour, Father, glorify Your name.” After a while, the soldiers knocked on the door. After apprehending them, their captors asked for the sum of twenty thousand dollars to free them. John then wrote to the leaders of CIM. At the end of his message, he said, “May God give you wisdom to decide what to do; in regard to us, may God be glorified, either for our lives or for our death.” The next day, John and Betty Stam died by the sword. Miraculously, little Helen survived.
At the time of their death, the Stams had not yet turned thirty, they had only been married for a little over a year, and their baby was three months old. In reality, they had really emptied their hands! How can anyone sacrifice so much? The answer is in a message Betty had written in her Bible, which found after captors burned down the house. The message read, “Lord I give You what I am and what I have: my life, my everything, completely to You, to be Yours forever. I give You all my friendships and my love. From now on, everything I love takes second place in my heart. Fill me up and seal me with Your Holy Spirit. Live Your life in my life at any cost and forever, because for me living is Christ and dying is gain.”
When Betty gave her life to God, she didn’t hold anything back. But wasn’t that exactly what Jesus did for you and me?
Thank You, dear Jesus, because You did not hold anything back in order to save me.
Today I want to give You my heart. It Yours today and always.
#AdultsDevotional
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
