"But when the kindness
and the love of God
our Savior toward men appeared,
not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according
to His mercy,
He saved us, through the
washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior."
Titus 3:4-6
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Good day! Let's begin with prayer........
"Father, I thank You for the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Lord. You alone provided the way for us to come to You and be in Your presence. You knew from the beginning of time that what was best for Your creation was to be in Your presence. I praise Your holy name for showing me the way.
I ask forgiveness of my sins and hope that You will wash me clean this day through Your word. I pray for healing and the renewal of my spirit.
I also pray for each lady here. I pray for her home and her children. I pray for her marriage and for her walk with You, Lord. I pray that she will be in Your word everyday and liken it to water and food. I pray that You will nourish her soul with Your word.
In Jesus' name.............amen."
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John 4:29
"Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"
Testimony
What is your testimony? Have you ever shared it with a body of people? I have and it can be a little strange, but wonderful when the Lord uses it.
I had a chance to share my testimony with the inmates in prison. Here I was, a good citizen who never did anything remotely unlawful, standing before recovering alcoholics and drug addicts sharing how the Lord changed my life. At first, I wasn't sure how much I should share because I thought my story was a typical one. Nothing too exciting.
But as I spoke, the Lord really gave me the words to say and when I was done, many hands went up with questions about sexual sin and forgiveness. It turned out to be a great time of sharing amongst the inmates.
Paul wrote that we should live as we have been called.
Please read:
1 Cor 7:17-24
So many times, new converts to Christianity tend to want to walk away from each phase of their former lives without realizing that they can use it for their testimony. That doesn't mean that if you are in a wicked lifestyle before you were saved that you remain in that lifestyle. Nonsense!
What Paul is saying here is that we should remain in the state in which we were called and use it for the glory of the Lord!
"Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did...."
Imagine the courage it took for this woman to speak to the men of the city in this way. We discussed last time that she probably had a reputation in the city. Yet, she was so excited to tell others about this Man she had met who told her all the things she ever did. She was washed, regenerated and renewed.
Rom 1:16
Ps 40:9-10
Ps 22:22
Ps 119:13
We are not to be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God to salvation! God uses our testimonies to move people to Him.
I probably have shared this testimony with some of you, but it is so powerful that I thought I would share it again:
I have a friend who was raised in an atheistic home all her life. She married a Christian man and though she prayed the "sinner's prayer" she never really believed.
Years later, they had a child together but discovered that she could not have any more children. She had to have a hysterecomy at a very young age. So, they adopted a little boy. I babysat for this couple when I was 15.
Life was good, for a time, but my friend's anger burned inside her. See, she had an abortion when she was younger and thought that God was punishing her for it by not allowing her to have any more children. She began to hate God. She didn't mind that her sons and her husband attended church. She liked it, actually. But it wasn't for her.
Years later, her adopted son grew strong in the Lord and was active in his youth group. He knew his mom was not saved, so he began to pray for her salvation. He was about 16 at the time.
My friend was doing well at her job and was promoted. She had a new supervisor at work who just so happened to attend the same church as her husband and sons. One Sunday night, her adopted son walked up to this man and told him, "You work with my mom." "I do?" he asked. So the boy told him his mother's name. "Yes. I am her supervisor, " the man answered. "I am praying that the Lord will use you to bring my mother to Christ," the boy said.
The man was stunned! So, with that he went to work and waited for the Lord to use him. He talked about the Lord at work and even brought his Bible. My friend began to ask him questions about the Bible at work, but at home she would say nothing.
Then, she began to ask questions of her husband at home about the Bible too! She was being discipled at work as well as at home in scripture. She was elated to have her questions answered each time, but the anger still remained.
Her husband noticed a change in his wife. He continued to pray for her like he did all their marriage. That Thanksgiving, they had the whole family over for dinner and it was wonderful . My friend was so happy and at peace.
When the dinner was over and everyone left, she and her husband sat on the stairs talking until late at night. She finally began to ask him about sin and forgiveness. And there, together on those steps, she finally let go of all that anger. She told me it just poured out while she cried and screamed with her husband. He just held her.
Then, after 25 years of praying for his wife's salvation, he led her to Jesus.
The Lord used her son and her supervisor......but he left the greatest reward for her husband. The Lord honored that man's faith and consistent prayers. The Lord remembered him and He allowed him to lead his wife to Her Savior.
Was my friend's life magical and perfect after this?? No, in fact, they encountered some of the hardest times of their marriage after she was saved and baptized. Her adopted son walked away from the Lord, got his girlfriend pregnant, denied the responsibility, then left home. He hasn't spoken to my friend for over 2 years now. She has endured financial hardships and emotional roller coasters, but now that she knows the Lord....she has HOPE eternal. She knows that the Lord will never leave her.
Eph 1:13-14
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Life Application
"Could this be the Christ?"
I find it amazing that she was so excited that her Messiah was actually here before her that she wanted to ask the men of the city just to make sure! She was so beautiful in her new state of conversion. The Holy Spirit had been poured out on her abundantly. She was so full of zeal and excitement! I can only imagine the look on her face. Jesus must have smiled when he saw her leave her waterpot and run off.
Please read:
1 Cor 1:18 & 25
1 Cor 2:14-16
Rom 1:17
Ps 119:125
Her zeal for the Lord is a wonderful thing to read. Her witness to the men in the city would end up being more productive and effective than the disciples who went to retrieve food. The Lord's words greatly effected her life and changed her course.
Our prayers to the Lord do not change the Lord for He is sovereign and His plan has been ordained before the foundations of the world.....but our prayers reveal to Him our faith in Him and that we acknowledge that He hears us because of Christ.
Rom 8:26-27 & 34
Heb 7:25
Pray to the Lord that His zeal for lost souls return to you. That is a prayer that Jesus would be more than happy to make intercession for us! Remember the zeal of your conversion....go and tell others your testimony. Do not be ashamed of the state of your calling, but use it!
Remember the Samaritan woman whose testimony made it into the canon of scripture for all to read all these centuries later even though she came from a fallen state. She did not deny it or recoil in shame because of it. No, she used it for the glory of Christ.
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Until next time.......
"The covenant of redemption, or the eternal covernant that was between the Father and Son, wherein Christ undertook to stand as MEdiator with fallen man, and was appointed thereto of the Father. In that covenant, all things concerning Christ's execution of His mediatorial office were agreed between Christ and His Father, and established by them. And this covenant or eternal agreement is the highest rule that Christ acts by in His office; it is a rule that He never in the least departs from. He never does anything more or less than is contained in that eternal covenant...He saves those, and those only, whome the Father gave Him in that covenant to save; and He brings them to such a degree of happiness as was therein agreed. To this rule Christ is unchangeable in this regard; it stands good with Christ in every article of it, yesterday, today, and forever."
-Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
(Altogether Lovely, 1997, p. 122)
Blessings,
Ruth
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