Taiwan

Taiwan faced its strongest earthquake in a quarter century Wednesday morning, damaging buildings resulting in the deaths of four people as of this writing.

More than 40,000 prayer groups in Taiwan have arisen amid threats of war from China.

Throughout history, one of the primary reasons that nations fall from greatness is the inability to recognize when the reasons for their prior success no longer apply to their current situation. Allegiances can shift, strength can wane, opposition can grow stronger, and each can occur in ways that are easy to miss if we’re not paying attention. What is true of nations can be equally true for each of us.

For a long time, Christians in America have had the luxury of knowing that the true cost of what we could expect to pay for following Jesus was unlikely to exceed what we were willing to pay. But as circumstances change and that cost becomes less certain, many have already begun to waver in their commitment to the Lord. And while it’s unlikely that the price to follow Jesus will rise to the point of death, only God knows where it will ultimately fall. So take some time today to ask the Holy Spirit to help you examine by which measure you’re counting the cost of discipleship.

Chinese officials say the country is doubling down on its claim of ownership of Taiwan as Russia has invaded Ukraine.