A Godly Woman & Esther Ahn Kim

A couple of books I am currently reading are:

A Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes
Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper

Both are FANTASTIC books! I highly recommend them to any Christian woman.

A couple of quotes . . .

The life and ministry of Esther Ahn Kim is incredible. She lived in Korea during the Japanese occupation (1937-1945). This was a time of SEVERE persecution for Christians. She endured years of persecution and suffering (always on the verge of death) and is quoted as saying:

I began to think that life might be worth living in this time of persecution. It might even be a truer picture of the believer to agonize, to suffer, to be hated, and tortured, and even to be killed in obeying God's words rather than to live an ordinary, uneventful life . . . Although we were poor, we were never in want. We were filled with the Holy Spirit and were convinced it was more than an honor to die for the Lord. We constantly lived in fear of the police, but we were happy and satisfied, envying no one . . . For us it was a joyous blessing to have been born in such a place and for such a time. I realized that it was because of this persecution that I was able to truly experience God's presence and trust His promises." (Noel Piper's book)

Amen! What a beautiful picture of a joyful, suffering servant.

In Barbara Hughes' book on discipline, she begins with the most IMPORTANT discipline of all, the discipline of the gospel. Even though this is such a basic truth, we so often forget the beauty and joy of the cross. She makes the following statement:

The Gospel shapes everything about you . . . As women who understand and embrace the Gospel, we find God's Word so dynamic that it at once defines us, satisfies us, and motivates us.

How I pray that my life would be defined, satisfied and motivated BY CHRIST JESUS!