God First  | inside out

“We need to honor God and go to church on Sunday.” said Mrs. Otsuka.
In Japan, that is easier said than done. In a country where so many community, company, and school activities are planned to take place on Sunday, it isn’t always easy to be faithful to church. But Mrs. Otsuka wants to honor God and is seeking to teach her two daughters what it means to put God first. Haruka was to have a test on Sunday. Normally held in the morning, Mrs. Otsuka’s faith (and her daughter’s) was to be tested. What would they do?
Just before Haruka went in to talk to the teacher, she asked her mom to pray for her that she would have the right words to say. And so they prayed in the car together. When Mrs. Otsuka returned to pick her up, Haruka’s face was beaming. The test wasn’t until the afternoon—she could go to church in the morning! God was honoring their faith.

Pray for Christians in Japan. It isn’t always possible to say “no.” Pray that God would give them courage and wisdom to put God first in their lives.


contributed by Don & Hazel Schaeffer
C&MA missionaries in Japan