Conviction

One wonderful thing about my time so far in Mozambique is that I have had time to read. The last story I read was about William Tyndale, a reformer and translator who was martyred in the early 1500s. I've learned that Tyndale was the first to translate the whole Greek New Testament into English and make it available in printed form. Check out some of these beautiful verses that have stood the test of time from Tyndale's original English translation:

The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be merciful unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. (Matthew 6:9)

In him we live, move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)

I share this with you because I am fascinated that Tyndale dedicated his life to this translation—to something he believed in so deeply that he was willing to die for it. Tyndale was an Englishman and the Roman Catholic church at the time forbade translation of scripture into English. Yet Tyndale firmly believed the Bible should be available in the language of his people. For fear of his life, he left England in 1524 and worked on the translation in Germany for the next 12 years. In 1536 he was burned at the stake for this work and his reformed doctrine. In 2011—almost 500 years later—I now have the privilege of reading scripture in my native tongue partly because this man was willing to give his life for it. Thank you, Tyndale. I pray I can live my life with such conviction.