Aches and Praise Two Hundred & Fifty Three

Posted on 2016-07-14 in English |

Dear friends,

Being on vacation, I’ve had lots of time to reflect on my new circumstances and make up an acrostic to summarize my current lifestyle:

Read
Eat
Sleep
Think

There is an expression “a change is as good as a rest.” I think that my present situation is better described as “a rest is a good change.” Karen and I enjoyed going to a Christian bookstore on Tuesday, where we found several excellent books, including “Living beyond the Limits” by Franklin Graham, the President of “Samaritan’s Purse.” Graham tells some very interesting stories of his experiences, including meeting Sami Dagher, a Lebanese believer who showed God’s love to a Syrian army officer who was hitchhiking in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war in the 1970s. Resisting the urge to keep driving, Sami remembered that he had woken up in the middle of the night and prayed “Lord, give me an opportunity to share my faith with somebody today.”
 

Sami not only stopped to pick up the Syrian, but he also bought a roasted chicken and invited him to his home and shared the gospel with him. The officer showed no emotion as he listened and after driving him to his destination, Sami never saw him again. However, as Paul Harvey used to say in his radio broadcasts, the “rest of the story “is tremendous.

Two years later, a young Christian dentist was working in a remote village in eastern Syria, where his bold witness for Christ resulted in him being interrogated by military police. The officer in charge asked if he knew Sami Dagher of Beirut. The young dentist had heard Sami preach in his church in Damascus and answered that he knew him. The Syrian officer then told him about his encounter with Sami, who told him the “most wonderful” story that he had ever heard in his life. He told the dentist “I’ve had a sweet taste in my mouth ever since. I have never forgotten his words.”

You never know how the Lord will use your testimony to bless others and bring glory to His Name.

Scripture for the weekend: “Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Thought for the weekend: “Love does not need an excuse to act. We have love because love is the product of our relationship with God. It is His character infusing our character. It is the grace of God making us able to act in Godlike character and compassion.” – Dr. James B. Richards (from his book “How to Stop the Pain”)

By His grace,

Steve

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