Good afternoon Facebook friends! I apologize to my followers for not having done the daily posts last week. I was a little under the weather along with some things that made significant demands on my time. I promise to be more diligent in the future. With each message I receive from readers, I realize more and more how God is using this to touch hearts and change lives in ways I cannot begin to comprehend. It is my prayer He will continue to give me uplifting, encouraging life lessons to share with all of you and each of you will be drawn closer to Him each day. I have an interesting life lesson today that touched my heart. I believe it will touch yours as well. I want to talk about what it means to preach the gospel 24/7. A lot of people misunderstand that and think preaching the gospel means standing behind a pulpit in a building with a steeple on top. That is a mistake. Let me give you an example of what preaching the gospel really means. Yesterday was an interesting day. I was awakened around 7:00. Let’s just say that was earlier than I intended to get out of bed and I certainly wasn’t through capturing ZZZZZZ’s. With a quick tooth brushing and a splash of water in my face, I managed to pull on some clothes and hit the road to IHOP for breakfast with my Pastor. For those of you who don’t know me, let me just say, “Morning is not my favorite time of day.” Until I have had at least two cups of coffee and a shower, I like everyone to be very quiet and move very slowly. Needless to say, I was experiencing the exact opposite. We were seated by the hostess and a very nice young man promptly took our order. I asked for “crispy” bacon. The waiter left for the kitchen and a woman seated across the aisle at another table spoke up and said, “Well, you’ll be lucky just to get bacon, much less expect it to be crispy!” I nodded my head, put on a smile and politely said, “I’m sure it will be okay, however they fix it.” All the while I was thinking, “What difference does it make to you how my bacon is cooked?” I went back to glaring out the west window at what appeared to be a huge storm coming on the horizon. I asked the waiter for cream to go in my coffee. Again, the woman at the next table interjected, “Oh, you should always ask for French vanilla, it’s much better than just plain old cream!” Again, I put on a smile and nodded; all the while thinking, “It’s my coffee, what difference does it make to you?” About then, she went into a rather lengthy dissertation of why she and her husband, who by the way was suffering from Alzheimer’s was eating there. She began with telling us “I’ve been sick; got way too many illnesses to tell you about. Every time I go to the doctor they find a new one. I think I’m up to about 49 now.” Absolute horror took over my mind as I was certain she was determined to describe each one of them in depth. By now I’m praying, “Please hurry and bring my not so crispy bacon so I can eat and get out of here!” Pastor smiled and reassured her that she just needed to remember that Jesus would help her get through and give her the strength she needed. Wow! Did that open another can of worms! She quickly responded by telling us she never discussed two things; one of which was religion and the other being politics. I felt a sigh of relief; you know, about not talking about politics. She then proceeded to tell us about her children and how they were all participants of different religions because when they were children she had seen to it they were exposed to a variety of beliefs. I thought, “That must really make for interesting after dinner conversation.” Pastor very kindly assured her the only important thing was to believe in Jesus. The woman agreed. Pastor then explained she was a minister and the woman’s eyes widened and her eyebrows seemed to come together between her eyes. I think she was somewhat taken aback to come face to face with a “woman” preacher. Anyway, they had finished their meal and as she came around the end of the table, Pastor reached out and took her hand and ask for permission to pray for her. In spite of the somewhat horrified look on her face, the woman graciously agreed. I could tell she wasn’t overly thrilled but as Pastor prayed her expression began to change. The scowl lifted. The hardness softened. The clenched jaw loosened. It was obvious she had never experienced anything just like this before. Pastor continued to pray and speak words of encouragement and edification to her. I noticed her shoulders dropped a little; it was like she relaxed and took in a deep breath of life. Her eyes began to water and a single tear ran down her cheek. At that moment I knew Father God had made connection and touched her heart. This woman would never be the same. She said, “Thank you, thank you so much.” As she walked away I wondered about what she would tell others about this “strange” lady preacher that prayed for her in IHOP. The rest of the day I continued to pray for the Spirit of God to speak and minister to her heart. Oh, and I repented, too; for pulling my head into my shell and not taking advantage of the opportunity to bless and be blessed. You see, that is what is meant by preaching the gospel. It’s a 24/7 lifestyle that never overlooks an opportunity to minister to the needs of another; to share Jesus and His love, overcoming power, and the grace of His salvation. That is what Jesus did! No, that is incorrect. That is what Jesus does! The Word says, “As you go, preach…” and all along the way remember “Jesus Loves YOU!”
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:56:43 +0000
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