[1]
They say God always hears a mother's prayer. I believe that to be true. A mother knows how to pray for her kids. She is always asking the Lord to send someone to encourage them and lead them back to their faith or lead them to the Lord. So don't let up; keep on keeping on 'till Jesus returns!
My name is Greg, and I was raised in a denomination other than Baptist. In high school and through college I always had weekend jobs that kept me out of church, not that I really wanted to go anyway. My praying mother would attempt to get me back into the 'active' Christian mode, but I was just too busy for it.
Years later, after getting married and having two kids, my marriage was not what it should have been. My wife and I were missing something in our lives, despite having financial security in our jobs, a new house, and two healthy, wonderful kids. We didn't know what it was, until a friend called us one Sunday morning to invite us to church. We came that day and we began to soak up the preaching and teaching of the Word. After a while, I was visited by a FAITH team.
After their visit, I realized that I was nowhere near the Truth in my life. I asked them to come back a second time, and I couldn't wait for them to come because I wanted to ask more questions. They did come, and they certainly cleared my mind of any doubt. The presentation of the gospel was so clear and understandable. So, at thirty years of age, I made my profession for Christ that night and was baptized the next Sunday. I couldn't see any reason to wait, and I wanted to show an outward testimony of what had happened in my life.
After the worship service on my baptism day, we hosted a fellowship meal at our house for about twenty-five people. My daughter, who had just turned four years old, asked if it was OK for her to ask God's blessing for our meal. I was a little hesitant since there were so many people there, but I let her do it anyway. Her prayer was simple, "God, thank you for washing away my daddy's sins. Amen." Even though she didn't ask a blessing for the food, I thought it was the best prayer I had ever heard in my life.
[2]God has since used me so many ways; I don't know where to start. I certainly give Him all the credit … all I do is show up, and He takes it from there.
When I think about FAITH, I think about all the changed lives of the 'new' people I see in church every week and how generations will be affected. I think about how much God loved me and that He not only sent Jesus to die for me, He sent a FAITH team, just willing to be obedient and available, to explain it. But mostly, I think about how blessed this daddy is to have his sins washed away and how God is using me so that others can say the same.
In this season of thanksgiving, what better way to show your thankfulness to the Lord for your salvation than to be obedient and available to share your faith with someone today. The "Everyone Can Kingdom Challenge for Evangelism" bus trip is over. We tried, all across the nation, to encourage all of us to "do what we can, with what we have, right where we are … NOW!"
What better Thanksgiving gift could you give to someone than the promise of eternal life with our Lord and Savior. You have a testimony you can be trained to share it … please don't hesitate.