KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 10:9-10
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
RELEVANCE
I'll share with you a story from a Pastor I know well. I'll call him Jim Smith. He is about my age and a lovely man.
Many years ago, when young and fresh out of Bible College, he came across a road incident. There was a man in a car, and his son was crying for him to come back to life. He had died. When my friend arrived, the dead father was pale, and his lips were blue. It was clear to Jim that his spirit had left his body. With virtually no pastoral experience, Jim stood there looking. Within seconds, the man gasped as his spirit returned to his body.
After a few more gasps, he looked straight at Jim and asked a bizarre question, "Are you Jim Smith?"
Jim, taken aback, astoundedly replied, "Yes. I'm Jim Smith!"
Then, the man explained the out-of-body journey he had just undertaken. "I left my body and was floating towards beautiful sunshine. My heart was elated. But then I began falling short and heading downward. The further down I went, the hotter it got, like radiating heat. I feared and cried out to the Lord for help.
The Lord said he would grant me more time on one condition. That when I was back in my body, I was to ask for Jim Smith.
Astonished by what he heard, young Jim then talked with him about salvation and led him to the Lord. From there, that 'dead' man became a Pastor himself, leading thousands of others to the Lord.
Jim was initially caught unawares but quickly got his act together, being bold enough to introduce him to Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful experience for a young budding Pastor, or any Christian for that matter.
PRAYER
Dear Lord, thanks for the privilege of hearing one of the stories of Jim's early life. Thank you for preparing him for such an event.
Photo by Hannah Busing
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