Do You Know That Your Story Is Amazing?

Mark 5:19 “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

One of the joys of being a pastor is hearing first hand how God is changing people’s lives. That is so encouraging to hear. I have heard stories of how God has healed people that their own doctors had given up on. I have heard of a husband that was antagonistic towards the gospel that is now living for Christ. I have heard stories of how God has delivered people out of sin, addiction and bondage and changed them in a miraculous way. It truly is encouraging to hear how God is at work in this world.

What if I asked you your story? How has God rescued you? There are times that I have asked this of people that were getting ready to be baptized and sometimes people with “ordinary” testimonies almost seem to feel reluctant to tell you their story. May it never be. It doesn’t matter how ‘good’ you are or what type of ‘good’ home you were born into, each one of us who has given our heart and lives over to Christ has an amazing story. It is amazing because even the ‘best’ of us still has a sin nature. Romans tells us that “no one is righteous, no not one.” We all fall short of the glory of God. Each of us has an amazing story to tell of the way that God revealed Himself to us and that we accepted His free gift and are ready to follow Him.

Never be bashful about how ‘ordinary’ your story is. Embrace the fact that you were once a sinner headed for hell and an eternity without Christ and God rescued you from hell. He gave you new life and His Holy Spirit is alive in you and is using you for the glory of God. That is amazing. The story listed above from Mark 5:19 always makes me smile. This man went home and told all the people the amazing things that Jesus had done for him and the Scripture says (in 4:20), “the people were amazed.” They loved hearing about a changed life back then just like we do today.

Praise God that He is still in the business of changing lives. He has changed my life and my desire is to live for Him all the days of my life.