Friday, February 6,
2015
God’s Power Principle For Today: “Do not fear for I am with you: do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10).
Hey
Gang, as I reread this verse, for the umpteenth time, it brought to memory a story
told by an old-salt evangelist many years ago at the Christian Retreat Center
in Florida. He had been a very successful business executive, even an
important cog in the early development of NASA. However, he allowed
alcohol to totally destroy his marriage and nearly his life. But, when at
the lowest point in his life, having lost his bride, his family and his
business, God reached down, as He did with Saul on the Damascus Road, and said,
“I’ll take that one”.
He told
the story of a time when he was invited to visit and preach at the worst of the
worst prisons in Georgia. An invitation that he readily accepted.
When he arrived, he was ushered into the cell block that held the least
dangerous prisoners and from there worked his way in to the most restricted
areas.
As he
was preparing to leave, he asked if there were any prisoners that he had
missed. The warden warned, "Yes, one area, but you do not want to go
there". We cannot insure your protection, but he would not take no
for an answer. After signing a waiver saying he would not hold the prison
responsible, if anything should happen to him, they opened the cell block door
and let him enter.
While
ministering to a group of prisoners, one, who had a reputation for being the
worst of the worse, came up behind him with a sheave, and threatened to kill
him. Hill’s response, “You can’t. You can only kill this shell that
houses me. If you push that thing into me, I am immediately leaving to go
and be with my heavenly Father, so go for it.”
To make
the longer story short, not only did the con drop the shiv but also dropped to
his knees and asked God to forgive him. The con later related, “As the
evangelist talked, the words planted by a saintly grandmother many years before
began to surface in his mind and heart. He not only went through a
miraculous transformation but became a strong witness in the cell block until
he was released.
Soooo,
friends and neighbors, it is not likely you will run into the worst con in the
cell block today, but I suspect you can take it to the bank that you will cross
paths with someone that is hurting deep inside’ someone who needs a friend to
let them know there is a Savior, Christ the Lord, who stands at the door of
their heart seeking entry. There is no greater joy in the world
than to witness the transformation of a person, who has no hope, to a Kings
Kid. Grandmothers and others keep praying for family and friends and Neighbors.
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