At
age 18, I came to the saving knowledge of what Jesus did for us on the cross,
by shedding His blood to pay our penalty for our sins. I joined a Christian
group on my college campus, and was promptly asked to read Children's Bible
stories at an after-school program.
Raised
as a Catholic, I had no concept of what any of the Bible stories were, and as a
financially struggling, single woman I had no money to buy a Bible. Therefore,
one of the armed servicemen in our Christian group bought a Children's Story Bible
for me to use.
Reading
those stories to the children, whose parents allowed them to participate in our
program, was a great, solid, spiritual foundation for me as a new Believer, as
well as an outreach to the children in our community.
Today,
50 years later, I am still working with children as an aid in a four and five
year old Sunday school class. Their retention of the Bible stories we tell them
- using story time, videos and crafts to reinforce each lesson, amazes me.
Their
honest and innocent prayers at the end of each class are heartwarming and
inspiring, because they are trusting God for the issues in their life and the
people that they love. I enjoy seeing life through their eyes, and knowing that
the presence of God's Army is alive and well on planet earth.
The
Bible is still a bestselling book every year, and its content is perpetual and
relevant for every generation. God did not leave us clueless on this earth; but
He speaks to us through His orderly creation, through His Word and by His Holy
Spirit (Romans 1:20).
God
does so much for us in our lifetime: providing for us, healing us, proving His
love for us in so many ways. He knows just what we need and gives it to us just
when we need it, in order to encourage us and to help us to feel His love for
us.
Prayer:
Father
God, remind us to take advantage of the 24 hours You give to us each day in
order to deepen our intimate union with You. Help us to take the time to walk
in Your ways for our life, rather than our own. Open our eyes to the ministry
in which You want us to serve in our local church Body, our family, our
vocation and our community.
Give
us creative ways to open doors into our community to let our light shine on the
hill (Matthew 5:14-16), so that we lift Jesus higher, and He can draw others to
Himself and to Your Kingdom (John 12:32). Strengthen our faith in You by the
trials through which You victoriously walk with us and in us. Give us the
courage to share your love with everyone we meet.
Thought
for the Day:
God's
presence in our life gives us supernatural wisdom, courage and strength, to do
everything that He calls us to do, through the power, grace and faith of His
only begotten Son, who abides within us by His Spirit during every moment of
our life and throughout eternity.
