December 13, 2024
Do you sometimes feel that your “get up and go” has got up and gone? Are you waiting for an answer to a prayer? If so, you can ask the Lord to strengthen you and help you see that He is in control. The Word of God gives us many exhortations and encouragements, including these words written by David:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:1 & 13-14)
Karen and I have been – and continue to be – blessed by family and friends who pray for us and encourage us. In October, we had a gathering at our home church where we remembered some of the ways that God led us in the past, what He is doing in and through the ministry of radio and Bible teaching, and we looked forward to what He will do. There is an expression: “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”
When I was a teen, I visited the “Sermons from Science” pavilion at Expo ’67 – the world’s fair. After watching a film portraying the wonders of God’s creation, a film was shown that presented the gospel of Jesus Christ. Cards offering a Bible course were given to attendees. When I took a card, little did I know that I would take more than three years to complete three lessons. I could blame that on being busy in high school, but that would not be accurate. I was just procrastinating.
I am grateful to the Lord for the family that He placed me in. Many of them were praying for me to repent of my sins and trust Christ as my personal Saviour. In January 1973, their prayers were answered when I asked the Lord to take control of my life. I had the privilege of serving as a volunteer at the “Sermons from Science” pavilion, which remained open when the exhibition continued for a few years, and had the great blessing of meeting Jim Yorgey, who came from Pennsylvania to serve the Lord. It was Jim who corrected my Bible lessons and encouraged me to complete the course.
One other blessing was meeting Michel Martel, who would become the speaker on the radio broadcasts of “La Voix de l’Évangile” in 1984. Praise the Lord for equipping Michel for ministry and giving him insights as he prepares messages from His Word.
If you are reading this and know that you haven’t yet trusted Christ as your Saviour, I urge you to not procrastinate as I did. In the gospel according to John, these words of Jesus are recorded: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”(John 14:6)
If you are a believer, rejoice in the Lord and ask Him to guide you into all truth and to use you to declare His glory.
Scripture for the weekend: “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.” Psalm 112:1 (NKJV)
Thought for the weekend: “You are not fighting for victory, but from victory, for Jesus Christ has already defeated Satan!” – Warren Wiersbe
Steve