Welcome to the Hackberry House of Chosun. My name is Bob, and I'm reading from a devotional book that's put out by Voice of the Martyrs. It's called Extreme Devotion. And this book catalogs the struggles of God's people over past years. Today, we visit Romania, a forgiving Jewess who lived there. The Romanian pastor and his wife had hidden Soviet soldiers during the Nazi occupation of their country. Now it was Nazi soldiers who needed refuge. Three German officers hid in the little building behind their house. The pastor's wife sneaked them food and emptied their waste buckets at night. As a Jew, she felt hatred for their actions. They had murdered her entire family. But as a Christian, she felt compelled to aid the refugees and offer them physical and spiritual support. The show of favor intrigued the captain. I wonder why a Jewess should risk her life for a German soldier. I do not like Jews, and I do not fear God. I must tell you that when the German army recaptures Bucharest, and it surely will, I will never return the favor to you. The pastor's wife was undaunted by his cold heart. She continued preaching to him. She said, even the worst crimes are forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ. I have no authority to forgive, but Jesus does if you repent. The officer replied, I won't say I understand you, but perhaps if more people had this gift of returning good for evil, then there would be less killing. Well, the officers soon escaped to Germany, still unrepentant. but the pastor and his wife had done their part in showing them the true meaning of Christianity. In Ephesians 6, 7, serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord and not men. Jesus shared a parable about a farmer who sowed seeds in different types of soil, producing different results. In his story, the seed is the word of God. Like birds who gobble up the trampled seeds outside a garden, the devil wants to take God's word away from those who hear it. In contrast, those who represent good soil receive God's word and respond. Whenever we share the gospel with others, we don't know what type of soil is in their hearts. We can't be responsible for their response, positive or negative. Are you discouraged because someone did not respond to the gospel? You have done your part. Now let God do his. for your own copy of Extreme Devotion, which is not a free book, email voiceofthemartyrs at thevoiceatvom.org. That's thevoiceatvom.org. This is the Hackberry House of Chosun, and this audio is being released on the 11th of June, 2023. Lord willing, we'll talk again real soon. Bye-bye.