God Knows How to Test   

   Are you having a bad day? 

   Consider Pastor Andrew Brunson, who led a Christian congregation in Muslim Turkey for about 23 years. He was arrested two years ago on false charges of terrorism and attempt to overthrow the government. How ridiculous! 

   We wrote of him briefly in this week's series on Perspectives. His ordeal reminds us of Joseph - God's man for a purpose in the Old Testament. Pharaoh's wife falsely accused Joseph of wrong behavior, so her husband considered him guilty without due process.  

   Sound familiar? 

   Pastor Brunson also went to prison, condemned to a cell for eight convicts, inhabited by 20. The other prisoners, Muslim, tried to convert the pastor. 

   He almost lost hope. For all he knew, he would be there for the rest of his life. Then, "I realized there was value in my suffering." With this perspective, he would cling to God, no matter what. 

   The pastor is back in the U.S., free, but unfortunately, Turkey closed his church. You and I can attend worship service today; what will our fellow believers in Turkey do?  

Achievement     

   Your Attitude, not your Aptitude, determines your Altitude.

            - Zig Ziegler