This post may be a little heavy. Thus the PG-13 label :)
Word Wednesday is back!
What are you reading in the bible this week?
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A few days after I was baptized, I heard the following story:
Angie loved Jesus, and after she gave her life to Him, she apprised her family about His infinite love. Her parents did not want to have anything to do with religion. In fact, they soon got a divorce and went their separate ways.
Angie graduated from high school and got her own apartment. Dad was never around, but mom stayed close by her. Angie loved her mom and wanted her to discover Jesus, that He was good, that He wanted Mom to spend eternity with Him.
Angie prayed, “Jesus, I don’t care what happens to me, but I will go through anything you deem necessary that will allow Mom to see the truth.”
A month later, on a cold beach at night, Angie was raped and killed. Her mother is now a believer.
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This story traumatized me in the early days of my faith journey. It invited horrible events from my past to haunt me. It deposited a constant fear within me. I used to babysit overnight for a single mom at church, and they lived in a very dark area. I remember being petrified that it was “my turn.”
My faith has grown.
I can’t imagine why someone would have told a new believer this story, but I imagine they might have had their own horrible events in their past. I don’t know. However, I think the story is not true --an urban ghost story that Satan uses to his benefit, not to ours. The way I see it, the bottom line is that Jesus is the sacrifice. He would not “allow evil to happen to one” in order for another to be saved.
Like I said, my Faith has grown.
Here is what I read this week that reminded me of this abominable story. These verses bring truths that are the exact opposite of what the above story is designed to deliver. I have seen the following lines from the Word come true in my life and in the lives of my brothers and sisters. This is not to say that bad things do not happen. It’s just to say: The only sacrifice is Jesus. He died for you and me -and Angie. If you haven't already, give Him a chance to show you.
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This is the truth of how God loves:
Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
3Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge—
10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14Because he loves me, says the LORD, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation
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What are you reading this week?
