[Faith-talk] 8/19/14 Daily Thought and Bible Trivia Game Answer

[Paul]

Hello and good day.  Sorry to be late with this one, but better late than never.

For those of you who didn't get the answer to Sunday's Bible trivia game, it was Romans 2.

Kevin Wells has written an article entitled "Stories Untold" which originally appeared in a publication called "Flame," Fall/Winter 2013.  It is rendered as follows:

Sometimes we hear a powerful testimony about how God has delivered someone and we find ourselves both inspired and troubled.  Our hearts are lifted as the person shares the joy and excitement that comes from a new relationship with Christ.  We feel great for them but sometimes imperceptibly, we find ourselves questioning whether or not we have a story to share.

The story of the demon-possessed man in Luke 8 is one of those stories.  Here we find a man who had been tormented by demons for years.  So much so, that he ran around naked and lived among the tombs.  No one was able to restrain him.

One day this man confronted Jesus as He and His disciples arrived on the shores of Galilee in the country of the Gadarenes.  Upon seeing the terrifying man, many of the people fled, but not Jesus.  He stood His ground and after a brief exchange with the demon He set the man free.  When the people returned to the scene they found the man, "sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind" (verse 35).

When Jesus began to leave the area the man followed Him and begged to go with Him.  However, Jesus sent him away saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."

You may not have personally suffered under demonic possession or experienced a situation of that dramatic caliber but if you are in your right mind sitting at the feet of Jesus then you have a story to tell.  Jesus wants you to go and tell what great things God has done for you!

All of our stories are important to what God is doing to save humanity.  Hebrews 11, what many consider the "Faith Chapter," chronicles many stories of faithful worshippers of God.  Some of these people, such as Samson, have dramatic life stories.  However, others were people like us--largely unknown and uncelebrated.

What you may not have realized is that God is still writing entries in His book of faith, and your story is a part of that book.  Your story is one that needs to be told.  This doesn't mean you are required to make a large public presentation, this is as simple as sharing your experiences with your family, friends and coworkers.

Our collective stories are part of a larger purpose.  Because "all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us" (Hebrews 11:39-40).  All of God's people, including you, are waiting to be made perfect together.

God has given you a story to tell, and believe it or not, there is someone out there waiting and needing to hear what you have to share.  So get out and tell your story.  Tell what great things God has done for you!

This article reminded me powerfully of something that happened several years ago when members of the Interactive Christian Community or ICC
(http://www.iccsite.com)
gave their testimonies.  I don't know if they can still be accessed or not, but if they can, these were an excellent demonstration of what God did in the lives of the individual testifiers who spoke.  I do hope that Kevin's article was a blessing to you.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another daily thought message and article for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul