Key Bible Verse: "I have told you this so you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!" (John 15:11). Bonus Reading: Acts 16:22-34

Cuban pastor Humberto Alexander's eyes sparkle like he's just been let in on a wonderful secret. But he spent two decades in a Castro prison for the politically incorrect. There he led clandestine worship services. His joyful faith proved contagious, and many fellow inmates committed their lives to the Christ. He baptized 200 right under the noses of the guards!

I couldn't imagine how, since Humberto barely managed to keep a small Bible concealed as he passed it from one inmate to another. Baptisms were usually pulled off, he told me, at the noon meal. One cellblock would file in past a long trough of water where they washed up, while another filed out on the other side. On the appointed day, he'd slip into the exiting group as the man to be baptized entered. As the two came opposite, the men bunched together as Pastor Humberto immersed the candidate in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then the lines moved on. "But didn't the authorities find out?" I asked.

"Sure, usually," Humberto replied, grinning; "But he'd already been baptized!"

Would he be beaten? Yes, probably. Would he be thrown into solitary? Most likely. But he rejoiced to see another spiritual journey begun.

—Steven Mosley in Secrets of the Mustard Seed

My Response: Am I resisting the pressure to give in to self-pity and despair?

Thought to Apply: One filled with joy preaches without preaching.—MOTHER TERESA (Albanian missionary to India)

Adapted from Secrets of the Mustard Seed (Integrity, 2006) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Teach me, Lord, how to harness Your joy to prevail over contrary circumstances.

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