Daily Devotion

“The Boxers seized her at her home, and as they dragged her through the streets she said: "This is my time of suffering, but it will be brief; then I shall have an eternity of joy." ... they hacked her poor body into little fragments. Mrs. T'ang was beyond caring for that; her "eternity of joy" had begun.”

Luella Miner · China's Book of Martyrs (1903), p. 314, on Mrs. T'ang of T'ungchou

Scripture

Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, 'Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.'

Reflection

'Today you will be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43) and 'your life is now hidden with Christ in God' (Colossians 3:3) together declare the greatest hope of Christians that transcends life and death. The calmness of martyrs in desperate situations stems from a genuine assurance of resurrection and eternal life. We are often troubled by earthly gains and losses, the fragility of the flesh, and temporary storms, even feeling fearful and shaken under pressure. However, when our lives are truly 'hidden' in Christ, earthly persecution and suffering lose their ultimate power to intimidate. The promise of the cross reminds us that death is not the end, but the entrance to eternal life. Facing the storms and challenges of life, do you also possess this ultimate peace that looks straight at suffering with paradise in your heart?