August 07, 2009
Residue
Because of health issues my sister has had to live with me for the last two years. I’ve prayed, hoped and kept my fingers crossed that the Spirit might somehow rub off on Shelly enough that she would come to the Lord. Strangely she got excited about the new church and made a personal investment in it by cleaning and working alongside believers as we prepared the facility for worship services. Without any prompting…or manipulation on my part, she began attending services the first Sunday in our new building. The last couple of weeks have seen Shelly’s health take a turn and she’s now in a nursing home deteriorating rapidly. The only functioning body of Christ she’s ever known is the five Sundays she’s worshiped with us. I’d like to think that some Gospel residue is sticking to her.
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Gail;
-----I like to believe that God is ambitious to get any soul out of eternal doom and into eternal life. Some of us call on His name and get involved in the church. We are certain that our efforts to acknowledge Him in our lives has set us on the path of salvation. Others call on Him, and then are off to the mission field or to the pulpit, or into some other ministry that rather amazes the rest of us. We look at them and think, “Gee! He has so submitted himself to the Lord! What a wonderful work God has done in this person’s life!” Generally we mean, “Maybe I should submit so much, too. But God has only called me to this much.” Why is it we do not tend to look at those who have found just a few steps inside the church door, and think, “God has taken hold of everything He can in that person’s life, it’s so amazing!”
-----The wicked and slothful servant was not condemned for returning little to his Lord. He was condemned for returning nothing. His Lord indicated how possible it was to please him by asking why he did not at least put the money in the bank to earn some interest (Mat 25:15-30). The other two servants had doubled their Lord’s money, but their Lord indicated he would have been pleased with only a simple few percent. Although the servant’s abilities were shackled by fear, they not destroyed so much that he could have not done that simple thing. His Lord would have accepted even a small escape from his paralysis.
-----I believe God is that willing to snatch folks from the fire, too. He did not bear the sacrifice of His Son to save only the strong, but even more, to save the weak. Praise God for what sparked to life in your sister! Now go to the nursing home and do a little, gentle fanning. The spark does not need to become a forest fire, it only needs to remain lit.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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