COMMUNISTS EXECUTED THEM FOR THEIR FAITH. THEIR HIDDEN BABY SURVIVED IN A RICE BASKET.

John and Betty Stam met at Moody Bible Institute, both individually feeling called to serve as missionaries in China, and married there in 1933 through the China Inland Mission. In September 1934, their daughter Helen Priscilla was born, and just two months later, the young family settled into a new post in Anhui Province, in the small town of Jingde. Two weeks after arriving, Communist soldiers unexpectedly overran the town and took the entire family prisoner.

John wrote a letter to mission headquarters that night, informing them of the Communists' $20,000 ransom demand, knowing full well the mission's strict policy against ever paying ransoms. He closed the letter with the words, "The Lord bless and guide you, and as for us, may God be glorified whether by life or by death." The next morning, the couple was marched to a hill outside the nearby town of Miaoshou to be executed, a Chinese medicine seller who pleaded on his knees for their release, and who was later found to own a Bible and hymnbook, executed alongside them for his own faith.

Before the couple was led away, Betty found a way to hide their three month old daughter, tucking her into a sleeping bag with a change of clothes and money pinned inside her diaper. Two days later, a Chinese evangelist named Dr. Lo found baby Helen alive, concealed her in a rice basket, and carried her to safety, eventually delivering her to Betty's parents, who were still serving as missionaries elsewhere in China. Helen grew up, became a teacher, and raised her own family in the eastern United States. News of the Stams' deaths spread around the world and, in the decades since, has continued to inspire generations of believers to serve overseas despite the risk.

Do you think you could have found the peace John wrote about, in that same letter, facing what he faced?

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*A Christian Home, School, and State are all good for the people.*

“One desire has been the ruling passion of my life. One high motive has acted like a spur upon my mind and soul. . . It is this: That in spite of all worldly opposition, God's holy ordinances shall be established again in the home, in the school and in the State for the good of the people; to carve as it were into the conscience of the nation the ordinances of the Lord, to which Bible and Creation bear witness, until the nation pays homage again to God."

Abraham Kuyper, 1897

August 25, 2026 (day 237/365)
TUESDAY

GOD'S WORD FOR THE DAY

“Humble Yourself Before God”

2 Chronicles 12:6

“So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, ‘The Lord is righteous.’”

This is the Word of God. 2 Chronicles 12 tells us how Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah turned away from God, and as a result, God allowed Shishak king of Egypt to come against them. When they recognized their sin and humbled themselves, they acknowledged that the Lord was righteous.

Pride often keeps us from admitting our mistakes. We may try to defend ourselves, blame others, or pretend that everything is fine. But God desires a heart that is willing to humble itself and acknowledge the truth.

Humility does not mean weakness. It means recognizing that we need God and submitting ourselves to His correction. When we humble ourselves before Him, we open our hearts to His mercy and restoration.

May God give us humble hearts that quickly recognize our failures, accept His correction, and return to Him with sincere repentance. Amen.

Have a blessed day with the Lord.

-- Pastor Emmanuel Serto

QUICK READ

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. (Acts 5, 1-5)

How does the enemy use gradual compromise rather than sudden rebellion to pull believers away from the Light friends?

The devil speaks to our mind because it's a simple way of communication with humans. Everything, good or evil starts in the mind and continue growing when we water it, that is, thinking about it often and considering it over and over until it takes root in our hearts.

Most Christians are ready for sudden attacks from the devil, but he is too cunning, he starts from your mind and changes the way you think.