"Today was the best day I ever had!" Howard announced at the Bible study last night. Knowing that my husband speaks in superlatives, I wasn't too surprised, but only a little embarassed when he told about our having breakfast on the porch and a picnic for lunch. "My wife has our porch fixed up like a little piece of heaven, and our picnic on the green grass by the pond watching the geese was wonderful!" he finished. Well, the weather was gorgeous, so who could blame him for seeing everything in a favorable light. I am blessed that he has the gift of appreciation.
Just as we had finished the worship songs and the leader was about to present his lesson, a man spoke up. "Before you get started, I would like to tell you about a vision of the Lord I had," the normally non-talkative member said. He went on to tell about how the Lord appeared to him in a church worship service. "It was just his head and shoulders," explained, "but I could see Him so clearly! He was an ordinary-looking man, but he was--beautiful! He was so alive and full of life and love just brimming over in Him!"
When he had finished, another quiet-spoken man, who had uttered maybe two sentences over the several times he has been present, began to tell of a time he saw Jesus. He had been alone with his wife away, lying on the bed counting how many times his heart had skipped. Finally, he drifted off and saw Jesus in white, flowing garments, but his face was blurred.
The next day he went to the doctor who told him if he didn't give up his 3-pack-a-day cigarette habit, he would die. The man thought maybe he had a near-death experience when he saw Jesus and he never smoked again. "Maybe that's how He would have looked if it had been clear," he said to the first speaker.
A talkative woman then told how the Lord was using her. "I had planned a lesson the other day, but He changed it completely," she said. "I didn't say one thing I had planned to say, but only what God told me to say. That is the way I live my life, just doing what He tells me to do!"
The host concluded the remarks by telling how he saw a change in a man he was counselling. "He came up to me and said he had gone to church Sunday and went forward at the altar call," he said. "This is how we are to live our Christian life: recognizing Jesus and letting Him shine forth in our lives, by giving of ourselves to others."
The testimony of the man who'd seen only the bust of Jesus reminded me that He was indeed full of life and vitality. We had sung a song that had the words, "Oh Lord God of Israel there is no god like you in the heavens...there is no god like you in the earth... which showeth mercy and keepeth covenant...unto the servants that walk before Him with all of their hearts." Like the lady who said she only does what God tells her to do! And Howard had previously said that the Lord had awakened in him a greater spirit of giving.
Maybe it was the best day he had ever had!
No comments:
Post a Comment