What Does It Take?

 Good Morning Fellow Travellers,

As you’re reading this, we should be in Turkey, getting ready for a “Tour of the 7 churches of Revelation”. We’re excited about this, especially since Tony just loves reading, teaching and preaching from this book. We’ve been trying to fit this tour in for years, and the opportunity came recently to not only join a tour, but also to accept a discount and help lead it.

I’ve been making a little list of things that have greatly encouraged us in our faith lately, and I’ll be sharing a couple of stand outs over the next several weeks.  Things where God has really spoke to my heart.

First was in Wales recently.  We stayed with a couple that we have met (him) in Australia a few months ago.  He said we should come and visit him and his church, so we did.  

We spent a lovely evening with them, he even presented us with a beautiful and authentic curry.

The next morning we got up and were just chatting with the guy as he cooked breakfast. The subject came up rather naturally about how and when he’d become a Christian. I sort of assumed he’d been a Christian all his life based on his knowledge of the Bible and all. Actually, it had only been 25 years.  His testimony practically brought me to tears. Below are his words:

 “My wife and I had been in various retail businesses for years.  Because of the times, we were struggling and we were experiencing a new low in our lives.  To top it off, one of our sons had just been convicted and sent to prison, addicted to drugs.  

“One day, as we were selling shoes in a market, a rather unassuming man approached me and tried to give me something.  I brushed him away, feeling that maybe he wanted money or something.  Later, I had a few minutes lull so I wandered over to where he was and apologised for turning him away so brusquely.”  

‘“Oh, that’s OK’, the man said, ‘I just wanted to know if you’d like this tract.’”

“I took it and shoved it in my pocket without looking at it.  My wife and I had tried some Eastern religions and such back in the day and I was pretty cynical, so I basically didn’t give it a second thought until several days later,

“I was driving the van, musing over my woes when suddenly it rolled to a stop.  Oh great, I thought, now even the van’s broken down too!  But I looked down and saw that my foot had just slipped off the accelerator!

“I sat there with tears in my eyes, so beaten down and tired, with no seeming hope in sight.  That’s when I remembered that little tract, now sitting under a pile of receipts on the dash board.  I found it, read it and with a flooding of emotions that God was answering every need, gave my desperate life to the Saviour.  Right there, right then.”


I was now the one with tears in my eyes.  How beautiful it is when we remember Jesus is the GOD WHO SAVES!  Yahweh, the God Who saves!  

Sometimes all it takes is a word or a tract from someone trying to be bravely obedient to Christ. Sometimes all it takes is a set of circumstances that drive us to our knees. Sometimes it takes a combination, God arranged and God ordained.

I’d like to hear what brought you to Jesus. The great thing about Him is that He rarely does things the same way twice!

In His love,

Marsha



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