Fleeing from the Khmer Rouge (1) - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.
Ecclesiastes 7:20

Fleeing from the Khmer Rouge (1)
Koeun Path, a Cambodian, flees to save his life from the Khmer Rouge. In his autobiography, he describes how, after weeks of wandering in cold, hunger and fear, he finds himself as a prisoner in a neighbouring country. There, Paula, an older Christian, visits him in prison and reads the Bible with him. Koeun recalls one of the conversations with his visitor:

“You know, yesterday you read me a sentence from your book that teaches that we will all be judged by God after death,” I said slowly, trying to formulate my confused thoughts as best I could. I continued, “On the one hand, it reassures me that my people are not responsible for the disasters that befall them, and that God will punish the Khmer Rouge for it. But a few weeks ago, you also read me a verse that says no one is perfectly righteous, but that all people have done wrong. So that means that God will judge the wicked, but that there is also evil in my heart. Do you understand what I mean?”

Paula nodded before I continued: “From a human perspective, I have always been a good person, wherever I have been. My father was an upright man and I had him as a role model. But sometimes I had thoughts and secretly did things that I would be ashamed of if anyone found out. If God sees my heart and condemns me, then I am lost, aren’t I?”

As always, Paula was very attentive to everything I said. I had expected her to correct me. But she didn’t. After a few seconds of silence, during which she looked at me seriously, she replied, “Yes, Koeun!”

(to be continued tomorrow)

Today’s reading: Leviticus 3:1-17 · Psalms 49:1-11