The Plain Truth is so Happy That You Have Been Enjoying Bob’s Broadcasts.
2000 years ago, a newscaster that we know of as Jesus Christ warned us about false Christianity. The warning was not against the devil but against false Christianity…about people who come in His name and deceive many.
The Greatest of These is Love by Corrie Ten Boom
I was five years old when I asked Jesus to come into my heart, and He came. He did not say I was too little, and He never left me. That was seventy-five years ago, and for seventy-five years I have walked with the Lord Jesus, and He has walked with me. My life has been very happy, though not always easy. I learned the most in the hardest times, because it is often in the most difficult classrooms of life that God teaches us the deepest lessons.
I was a watchmaker by trade—the first licensed woman watchmaker in Holland—and worked alongside my father in our jewelry store. I took pride in selling fine watches, ones I could confidently stand behind. Later, I realized that while I once worried about boasting too much about watches, I could never boast too much about the gospel. The joy, love, and reality of Jesus Christ are far greater than anything words can fully describe. I hope that when we reach heaven and look back, we will not be ashamed that we lived like beggars when we were truly children of the King.
During the German occupation of Holland under Adolf Hitler, my family and I began helping Jewish people escape persecution. I never planned it—God did. Over time, I worked with a group of about eighty people. When we learned that Jewish babies in an Amsterdam orphanage were to be killed, our young men rescued all one hundred of them. It was possible only because some German soldiers refused to serve Hitler and sought our help. God provided ways we could never have imagined.
One of my bravest helpers, Pete Hartog, once told me he believed saving lives was the most important work there was. I agreed—but I told him there was something even greater: saving souls. Pete thought evangelism was a pastor’s job. I reminded him that every Christian is called to be a light in the world. Half a year later, Pete was imprisoned and sentenced to death. In his final letter, he wrote that he had shared the gospel with every man in his cell and that he now understood the most important work of a Christian was winning souls for eternity.
Later, I was betrayed by a man I had helped financially. His deception led to the arrest of my family, and eventually to the deaths of my father and sister. When I learned the truth, hatred filled my heart—but I knew from Scripture that hatred is murder in God’s eyes. I repented, and God took that sin away. The Bible says that when we confess and repent, God casts our sins into the depths of the sea—forgotten forever. A heart cleansed by the blood of Jesus is then filled with the Holy Spirit, whose fruit is love, even love for enemies.
After the war, I wrote to the man who betrayed us, telling him I had forgiven him because Jesus lived in my heart. That forgiveness led him to repentance and faith in Christ before his execution. God used my obedience—despite my pain—to reconcile a lost soul to Himself. This taught me that when Jesus commands us to love our enemies, He also provides the love to do so.
Throughout my imprisonment in concentration camps, God continually revealed His love. Even in Ravensbrück, where tens of thousands died, God sustained us. Once, during roll call, a skylark sang overhead, reminding us that God’s love is higher than the heavens and deeper than human hatred. God even used lice to protect us—the guards avoided our barracks, allowing us to hold secret Bible studies.
After the war, I traveled the world for over twenty-six years, sharing the gospel—even behind the Iron Curtain. In Moscow, I smuggled Bibles in a suitcase and prayed boldly over God’s promises. God answered by sending angels, and the suitcase passed through untouched. I learned that when you pray with God’s Word, He honors faith that trusts His promises.
Forgiveness became one of the greatest lessons of my life. I learned that resentment can return again and again, like an echo, but each time we must bring it back to the Lord. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the prison of bitterness. We cannot forgive in our own strength, but Jesus in us can.
I often illustrate this with a flashlight. A flashlight needs two batteries—salvation and the fullness of the Holy Spirit—but it also must be empty of rags. Unconfessed sin, pride, jealousy, resentment, and fear block God’s light. When we confess honestly—without excuses—God cleanses us. Repentance means turning away from sin, not continuing it in smaller amounts.
When Jesus fills us with the Holy Spirit, we become the light of the world. This is not achieved by striving but by trusting. It is not “try,” but “done.” God has already provided victory through His Son. When we surrender fully, even the darkest places can be filled with His light.
I pray that you will search your heart, confess what God reveals, burn the “black and whites” of unforgiveness, and allow the Holy Spirit to fill every corner of your life. God’s love is sufficient—more than sufficient—to overcome every trial. May you know the joy of forgiveness, the power of surrender, and the deep peace of walking in the light of Christ.