Secret Church

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Always Thanks Posted: 09 Jul 2013 03:35 AM PDT In a July  3rd prayer update, Open Doors updated us on Rimsha Masih, the young Pakistani girl who at one point faced the death penalty for allegedly desecrating pages of Islamic religious text. After allegations against a Muslim cleric revealed that Rimsha was likely framed, the case against her quickly deteriorated. However, in the interest of her and her family’s safety, the Masihs fled their neighborhood and the country. Now, over seven months after her case was dropped, Rimsha is enrolled in school in Canada, where she and her family were granted asylum. This was accomplished with the help of another Pakistani expat, Executive Director of International Christian Voice, whose brother was assassinated in 2011 for speaking out against Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. God has mercifully delivered the Masih family from such evil, and for this, we ought to thank Him. But perhaps this can serve as a broader reminder. It is glorifying to God when we make our requests known to Him, for in doing so, we declare dependence on Him as our sovereign King and caring Father. However, me must never neglect thanking Him too, for this also brings Him glory. Our thanks to Him shows his loving power and our desperate need for him as we draw attention to our God-given contentment in Christ alone. For this reason, we should “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thes 5:16-18, emphasis added). God’s standing will for us is that we rejoice, pray, and thank… all the time. And because we should always thank Him, our circumstances cannot be our main reason. For not all circumstances are good. Not all stories end like Rimsha’s. For us to be able to thank God all the time, we must have our heart set on something greater than favorable circumstances and “happily ever after” endings. We must have our heart set on eternity with God. When we do, it is only fitting for us to be continually thankful to God for his salvation – past, present, and future. Christ has died, is now alive, and will come again. In him, our hope – and the hope of our persecuted brothers and sisters – is secure. Thanks is always in order because “He who calls you is faithful” (1 Thes 5:24). Always.

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