The daily listings below will give you some insight to how Christians in the past and also the present day and time have suffered great pain and agony to serve our Lord & Saviour.
 

My Dearest Maria,
At last I have found an opportunity to write you again. I am
happy to report that the sister that was so sick is feeling
better. We have now been relocated to another camp.
In my last letter I told you of my baptism. But I never had
the opportunity to ask you for forgiveness for all the times I
wronged you before I received Christ. It is only through your
gracious attitude of forgiveness that I am a Christian today.
Please accept my apology.
Also, I want to thank you all for the packages you are
sending. Thanks most of all for the Bible. Since the Lord
revealed to me the deep mystery of his holy love, I consider
myself to be the happiest person in the world. I consider the
suffering I have had to put up with as a special grace. I am
glad that God gave me this tremendous opportunity to suffer
for him.
Please pray for me that I may remain faithful until the end.
May the Lord keep you all and strengthen you for the battle.
Don’t worry about us. We are glad and joyful because our
reward in heaven is great!

Your Varia

Varia was never heard from again, but her love and
witness for Christ were never forgotten. Her young life
was likely snuffed out by the cruel authorities who
imprisoned her for her faith. However, her legacy
burns brightly in the hearts of those who know her
story. Her life brings irrefutable evidence concerning
the strange level of friendship that suffering affords.
Suffering for Christ can actually bring us closer to him
in ways no other experience could. The Bible calls it the
fellowship of Christ’s sufferings—an exclusive level of
human experience. Growing closer to Christ through
suffering is something best understood by firsthand
experience. How have you seen your own personal
suffering bring you into a closer walk with Jesus Christ?
How did this happen?

Forgetfulness. It is the number one enemy of prayerfulness. We are quick to offer our prayers of support. Unfortunately, our good intentions are rarely good enough to help us carry through on our commitments to pray for those in need. What can remind you to pray for those who are persecuted around the world? Perhaps a small sticker on the face of your watch will remind you. Each time you look at your watch throughout the day can be an opportunity for you to remember a people group who live under religious persecution. Whatever method you choose to be more mindful of the missed opportunities for prayer, follow through on it. Reading stories about extreme believers will not change anything. Praying for extreme believers can change everything—maybe even today. 

from VOM-Extreme Devotion