8 Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 9 The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
We can stand on the truth that is found in God's Word...if we are reliant on Him and build our lives on His firm foundation, then we can be confident in following Him. And, he gives us the courage to follow His path, even in difficult situations.
I believe God is calling us to be people of conviction. His heart is spoken in Ephesians chapter 4, as Paul expresses the desire...
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--
Perhaps you've been following the situation involving Chinese attorney and human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng, who recently escaped house arrest and reportedly sought protection in the U.S. Embassy. Bob Fu of the China Aid Association, quoted by Baptist Press, says that this incident presents a "pivotal test for freedom in China and for U.S. credibility as a defender of freedom."
President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been careful not to speak in clear support of Chen, who climbed over the back wall of his home April 22. Chen is a 40-year-old self-trained lawyer who has been blind since childhood, who was imprisoned and then placed under house arrest for exposing forced abortions under China's one-child policy. He was arrested
Reports earlier today say that Chen left the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday of his own volition - that's according to U.S. and Chinese officials - but reports surfaced almost immediately that the dissident was coerced by threats against his family and that he has reiterated his desire to leave China.
According to an LA Times report, a close friend of Chen, Beijing activist Zeng Jinyan, said the deal with U.S. officials to keep the dissident in China was forced on him to avoid harm to his family and supporters. Zeng said she was told by Chen’s wife that if her husband didn’t leave the embassy, she and her children would be forced to return to their village, where thugs armed with sticks were waiting to beat them to death.
U.S. officials announced hours earlier that they had struck a deal with Chinese authorities that would allow Chen to remain in China and work at a university safe from reprisals for his escape from house arrest and his six-day refuge at the U.S. Embassy. A State Department spokeswoman in Washington insisted that Chen never sought political asylum in the United States and that he decided to leave the embassy to ensure he could be with his family.
Chen was taken to the VIP ward of a hospital in Beijing's eastern Chaoyang district Wednesday afternoon. He was accompanied by the U.S. ambassador to China, Gary Locke. Chen was reunited there with his wife and two children, U.S. officials said.
He was sentenced in 2006 to more than four years in prison for likely trumped up charges of disturbing public disorder.
Chen Guangcheng is a great example of someone who was willing to speak the truth and take a stand. To be silent may have been the most convenient path of action, but he saw injustice in the form of China's one-child policy and spoke out. When we encounter a situation and truth is needed, we have a choice - we can be silent, maybe even go along with the crowd and perhaps even allow injustice to continue, or we can be bold and courageous and shine the light of truth, regardless of the cost. For Chen, the consequences have been stringent, but he believed that it was worth it. So what are you convicted about to the extent that you would be willing to face some negative consequences - is God perhaps calling you to illuminate a situation? There may be a price, but the heavenly rewards are great.
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