During January we’re focusing on devotion to God. Please see the Monthly Prayer Focus page to read our strategic prayer request for this month.

By Lori Witham

de.vo.tion: profound dedication and ardent affection for God, a life of total undistracted commitment to the Savior

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

John 4:34

If you are looking for a good example of someone devoted to God, look no further than many of the Papua New Guinean Bible translators. I have always looked to these men and women in awe at their commitment to God’s work. Rather than working on their garden which provides sustenance for their family, building new village houses, or even moving to town for a better paying job, these men and women sacrifice their lives to God, and trust Him to provide for them. They will spend years of their lives dedicating their time sitting in their house until sometimes late at night as they translate scriptures verse by verse. They’ll come into town for weeks and even months to work together discussing how best God’s Word should be written in their language so that it is correct and clear to their people.

I’m sure the reason these dedicated Christians have such undistracted commitment to making sure God’s Word is translated into their language is because while translating, they have experienced God speaking to them clearly through the scriptures they are translating. They know firsthand what PBT knows, that God speaks to us in our own heart language. Therefore, they are committed to bringing God’s Word to all of the people in their own language. We are praying that when their people then also hear these Scriptures, they will have the same deep hunger as the translators for more.

Lori works in the Publications Department, serving remotely from the USA as a desktop publishing specialist.