|
"The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted,
The Rock of my salvation!"
(2 Samuel 22:47)
Daniel and Gabby Blanco shared their testimony at a Gideon's banquet that I attended last week with my wife, Ashley. I love the work the Gideon's do for our Lord. They love Jesus, the Word of God, and people. You can find Gideon Bibles all over the world. We have many active Gideons in our church here in Austin. One group goes to the University of Texas in Austin and passes out pocket New Testaments to the students. I appreciate their boldness and willingness to share the good news of Jesus.
At the luncheon last week, we heard Daniel and Gabby tell of how God saved them, and it all started with a car accident. Bobby is from Honduras, and Gabby is from Cuba. They were dating and living together in Austin, TX. They were driving around looking for a home to buy when they got distracted and ran into the car in front of them. Gabby said she felt terrible that she did not notice that the light had turned red. To their surprise, the person they ran into did not get upset and was very understanding. The gentleman they hit was Sam Shoquist, a strong follower of Jesus. He invited Bobby and Gabby to have lunch with him and his wife. They went to lunch together, and both Bobby and Gabby gave their lives to Christ! They have since gotten married, been baptized, and joined a local church in Austin.
God truly works in amazing and mysterious ways. What are the chances that this young couple would have an automobile accident that would end up being instrumental in them coming to a saving relationship with Jesus? God still works miracles!
Are you, as a follower of Jesus, walking through a tough ordeal? Can I encourage you that God just may have a bigger purpose in mind? He intends to use your difficulty to do two things: bring glory to His name and lead someone to faith in Jesus. If you are like me, the first thing that comes to mind when trouble strikes is self-pity. Sorry, but that is unfortunately the truth. However, God is working on me, and in time, I can usually see the bigger purpose.
It is just like God to take our mess and create a powerful message. For Sam that day, I am sure it was a painful experience to be rear ended by Bobby and Gabby. But he had the spiritual maturity to view this "accident" as much more than an inconvenience. He saw it as an opportunity to point this young couple to a relationship with Jesus. He both demonstrated the love of God and then spoke the Gospel. That is a powerful combination!
Take a moment and pray to God and ask Him to empower you to remember He has everything under control. Ask Him to help you to look for opportunities to bring glory to God and share Jesus with others, even during the interruptions and difficulties you will face. When you and I, as followers of Jesus, demonstrate God's love in our actions and verbalize the Gospel with our words, then we present a powerful witness to those who need the Lord.
|
Apple
Spotify
Stitcher
YouTube
