I just met with a young girl who had been raised with no father and who lost her mother when she was in High School. Today she is 20, has no one to guide her, no job, a bad car on its last leg, and no hope for her future. She was referred to me by an agent at a ministry that didn’t know how to get through to her.
After we small-talked for awhile, I opened the subject of her relationship with God. The more we talked, the softer her heart became. She was ripe fruit. Every time I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus Christ, she said she was scared. Finally, I told her that the only way to deal with that fear was to do it. So, I led her in a sinner’s prayer and she grinned from ear to ear. She had done it! She had overcame her fear and found peace in Christ.
I told her about the importance of being in church and invited her to come this weekend. Pray for Shawna. Satan will not want to let go. But she is my first convert of the new year, so she’s my special project!
Tags: salvation
In his book Fishing on the Asphalt, Herb Miller shares that the average church member has listened to 6,000 sermons, heard 8,000 prayers, sung 20,000 hymns over and over, and asked ZERO persons to accept Christ as personal Lord and Saviour. Wow!
Last week I met with a man who does not attend any church and whose marriage was ending in divorce. He was a broken man and was obviously open to spiritual things now more than ever. So I listened to his sad story, made some common sense suggestions, and then asked, “How do you think you stand with God right now?” He teared up and then replied, “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”
What an open door. He is sensitive to spiritual things, is talking to a pastor, and admits he doesn’t know where he stands with God. So I reminded him of the sin gap between him and God, and also that Christ paid for that sin when He died on the cross. “Would you like to accept Christ as your personal Savior,” I asked. “Yes.” That was all it took. A quick prayer, a few tears, and it was done. Another soul in the Kingdom.
Remember that simple question: “How do you think you stand with God right now?” Gets them thinking every time.
Tags: evangelism, salvation, sinner's prayer
Al Mazerolle was fighting for the Allies in Normandy in France on D-day, the historic turning point in World War II that led to the defeat of the Nazis. A little girl, Edith Bodin, had been shot by the fleeing Nazis and dropped in a ditch for dead. The bullet, perilously close to her heart, likely would have killed her had it not been for Mazerolle. He made a daring dash through bullets and exploding shells to rescue Edith. Doctors operated on her. She survived.
Decades later, when a D-day anniversary was being observed in Normandy, Mazerolle went to France from his home in British Columbia. Edith Bodin, now middle-aged and having never seen him since she was a girl, had tears streaming down her cheeks when she saw Mazerolle. Throwing her arms around the old man, she exclaimed, “Savior!”
Who was teh person instrumental in telling you about Jesus? They were a part of your salvation. Perhaps today would be a good day to send them a thank you.
Tags: courage, risk, salvation, World War II
This past week has been busy getting things ready for my surgery next week. I’ve got some winterizing things I need to get done around the house, because I’m not supposed to be doing any straining for some time after the surgery. I also need to make sure that everything is set for my absence at the church. And, because I’m not a guy who likes to sit around and do nothing, I’m trying to save up light duty things that I can do at home for that period when I’m stuck there. Today Anita is picking up some prescriptions from the pharmacy that I need to start prior to the surgery.
My Mom used to say, “Be sure you wear clean underwear in case you have an accident”. Because this isn’t an accident or urgent emergency, we’ve had time to plan ahead and get all our ducks in a row ahead of time.
But, I wonder what people will think when the trumpet sounds, and Jesus comes back. It will be too late to make any preparations then. That’s what the Holy Spirit meant when He said, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion” (Hebrews 3:7-8). Be sure that you are ready. And I sure hope Anita remembered to wash my undies.
Tags: prepare, salvation, today