Sunday, March 4, 2007

Got Any Two's?

Last Sunday, our pastor challenged us to write a thank you letter to the person who "fished' for us and who was most influential in leading us to a decision to follow Christ (Matt. 4:19). I realized that I don't ever remember thanking him, so I wrote letter, ...to my husband, Bruce.

He wasn't my husband then, but says he was thinking about it. He knew that I had always had a 'faith' in God, and went to church each week without fail, but he sensed that I was missing out on a greater relationship with Him, and by my own assertion, I didn't have the assurance of spending eternity in Heaven. I was an arrogant little fish, and resented him telling me about God. Afterall, in college, I was the one who went to church services on Sunday afternoons, while he sat outside and waited for me, because church wasn't for him.

I had been living out of state for the previous year, and he had told me of his life-changing conversion in phone conversations, but I thought it was another of his wild and crazy 'phases'. It wasn't until he sent me a Bible, and several other books to read, that I realized he was serious. And the changes in him were real. So I began to read, and came to know there was more. For the first time in my life, I understood why the Friday before Easter is called "Good" Friday, and it made me glad, not sad. I finally understood the meaning of all the things I had 'learned', but not 'known', in the first 22 years of church attendance. I realized sitting in a hen house doesn't make you a chicken.

So, thanks to the man with whom I said, "I do" 29 years ago, I do know where I am spending eternity, and I do have a spirited personal realtionship with my Lord and my Savior, Jesus the Christ. And, I do identify with others who have a recognition of their Creator, but not a relationship with Him; I do purpose to be the testimony that there is something more. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life (1 Tim 1:16b).

Got any two's? Go Fish!

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