Sometimes we need something to cut through the confusion, something that is solid and dependable, something that just doesn’t go out of fashion, or wears out, or becomes irrelevant.
At those times we can find such reality, such strength from verses in the Bible.
Our life is like a pathway, we may not know where it is leading and who we will meet us on that journey.
Along this pathway we will encounter different forces trying to manipulate our decisions – we will be tempted to react in certain ways.
What gives us stability on this pathway?
We need to have a solid grasp of the Bible, otherwise we will have wishy washy beliefs.
What should the Gospel message be?
Members of The Gideons International believe that anybody reading the Bible can see the Truth and believe.
That is why they distribute Bibles to police, fire, medical personnel, prisoners; military personnel; students in the fifth grade and above; and in key locations, including hotels, motels, hospitals, convalescent homes, medical offices, domestic violence shelters, prisons, and jails [i].
Here’s a real life example:
A young girl at a school in India was given a New Testament and the words intrigued her to read more.
Gideon’s International Blog [i]
A subsequent series of events paved the way for her to embrace God’s love and grace…
Here’s another real life example:
Roy went downstairs to the hotel lobby, where he found a Gideon-placed Bible.
Gideons International Blog [i]
He sat down and looked through the Helps in the front of the Bible, desperate to find something.
When nothing on the list spoke to his specific situation, he decided to start reading.
To this day, Roy doesn’t know the specific Scriptures he read, but he kept reading until he fell asleep.
He woke up the next morning in the middle of the hotel lobby.
Roy saw a conference room across from him where eight or ten men all had their heads bowed. He knew they were praying.
He didn’t know how they would receive him, but after the night before, he had to talk to someone.
He barged into the room with no knock or polite request to enter—he simply walked in. ‘What are you guys doing here?’ Roy asked.
He expected them to call security and have him escorted from the room. Instead, they explained that they were members of The Gideons International and were having their morning prayer meeting.
One man asked if Roy was a believer.
‘I told him I wasn’t, but I was interested in learning more about Jesus,’ remembers Roy.
Just like that, the man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a little book.
He handed Roy a Testament and told him to open it to the back page.
The Gideon told Roy that God loved him and asked him to read the Scriptures listed under that statement.
‘He had me read them for myself, rather than simply telling them to me,’ Roy recalls.
He read Romans 5:8 about God proving His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Jesus freely died for mankind.
These words were good news to Roy, especially after the experience he’d had the night before.
Then the Gideon had him read Romans 3:10, which states,
‘None is righteous, no, not one.’ (ESV)
That verse struck a chord with Roy.
He knew he wasn’t righteous.
He knew the kind of person he was and what kind of life he had lived.
‘Even though I always thought I was a halfway decent person, I certainly wasn’t righteous. Yet, Christ died for me,’ Roy admits.
This man went on to tell him the remedy for sin was Christ, who died for our sins and was buried and raised on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). He told Roy he could be saved and accept Christ into his life.
He had him read one more verse—Romans 10:13.
Roy learned everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Roy vividly remembers what happened next. He recalls:
‘I ended up on my knees with tears in my eyes beside that Gideon. The others in the room joined us in prayer as I accepted Christ. Jesus came into my life, and I was reborn. We opened to the back of that Testament again, and I signed my name. There’s no way to describe how great God is!’
Here are some ‘Byte’ sized answers from the Bible:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1
And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7
O Lord, You have searched me and You know me.
Psalm 139:1-3,14
You know when I sit and when I rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Man does not live on bread alone,
Matthew 4:4
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Can we rely on our ‘goodness,’ to get us to heaven?
The things we do can pile up against us like a debt we owe God…
A story of abuse turning good: ‘Cruel sneers to a single flower’.
Baptism is often problematic in practice and divisive between the denominations.
Decisions, decisions: At the crossroads. Some ‘routes’ will shout louder than others.
How to feel happy and just feel better.
Does God put us in difficult situations?
There is a ‘Recall Notice’ on the human race!
References:
[i] Gideons International.
[ii] Photo Credit: write_adam Flickr via Compfight cc