Never Helpless

As I was meditating on John 14:11-26 I was struck by the reality that I am never without the Lord's help.

I know that it's impossible to do anything apart from Him, but the reality that Jesus is not just with me, but helps and empowers me to follow Him, keep His commandments, glorify Him, and help others do the same is one of the greatest comforts, "helps", that I have ever known.

An old country song says, "the greatest thing I've ever known, is loving you..."; I can honestly say that about Jesus and His help, the "Helper" who is the Holy Spirit.

Imagine never having His help. Never getting that inner direction, peace, and comfort we need everyday. Imagine trying to figure out His Word without Him...oh how our lives would be different! Oh, how lost we would be without Him!

Lots to say about this...for now I'll settle on saying...

Lord, thank You for Your Spirit, thank You for sending me Your Comforter...I don't deserve it, yet, You Gave Him anyway...thank You that I am never apart from I AM.

I pray every reader joins me in amazement of our Lord and His love and provision for us,

PT

Practice What You're "going" to Preach, Preacher!

Today, as I've been praying and preparing for Sunday's service, I had the opportunity to practice what I am "going" (Lord willing of course) to preach this week.

A repair man (we'll call him Bob) came to the house to fix some things that were under warranty...I knew, even before he came, that I was going to share the Gospel with him. What I didn't know was how much of a difference "practicing what I am going to preach" would make in my witness.

This Sunday's message is from Colossians 4:5-6 which tells us to be wise and make the most of the time when it comes to non-believers and that our speech with them should be gracious, seasoned with salt, so we'll know how to answer them.

As I was meditating on this passage I was also praying for the right "time" and "words" and "way" to share Christ with Bob. I knew if I bombarded him with the Truth he probably wouldn't listen, yet I knew I had to share the Truth with him no matter what it took. So, I kept praying and trusting God for a segue into the Gospel and sure enough, God opened the door.

I was asking Bob about his job, family, work, and life in general, and then I said..."So Bob, do you go to church around there?" He said he had not found a place since he moved from Boston to Texas, but he was looking for one; that was the door I was looking for.

We talked about Dallas traffic and I told him what I say when I counsel people about handling stress in their lives and such. Bob listened intently, more than I thought he would. He even responded to what I was saying by interjecting his thoughts from time to time, which I happily stopped to listen to.

I was able to share the Gospel with Bob and I can honestly say that he now knows that there is only One Way to Heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ, not any amount of "good works" or even being the member of "the right church".

In light of Sunday's sermon, had I not waited for the right time, had I not shown Bob that I actually cared enough about him to talk about "stuff", not just spiritual things so I could give myself a pat on the back, I wonder how different things would've been? I wonder if he would've actually stopped to listen, or would he have simply used my voice as "white noise" to pass the time? I praise God I'll never know.

I gave Bob my number; I pray he calls sometime. Maybe God will give me another opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with Bob in the future.

One thing I know for sure, it pays to practice, not just what you've preached in the past, but what you're going to preach in the future.

Therefore, let me encourage each and every believing reader to faithfully share the Gospel and to listen and obey the Holy Spirit as He directs what words you use as well as the "tone and timing" of those words.

PT