I always enjoy meeting new visitors at The Rock and asking them questions about their lives. Seems like everyone has a story. And it can be kind of like spiritual “mining” when I’m trying to learn more about them. I look for evidence of Jesus in their lives, like a miner digging for gold. Sometimes, I find it near the surface. Perhaps these visitors are hurting and can’t help but pour out their emotions. Other times, I definitely need more effort and patience to be a good listener and befriend them.
And when that happens, if I am honest, I don’t always want to put in the effort. But here’s the thing. I’m usually the one missing out when I choose not to listen to someone’s story. I particularly enjoy salvation stories. Here is one of my favorites.
Charles Spurgeon’s Story
“For five years, a young Spurgeon suffered from deep spiritual distress and felt weighed down by his sin, trying hard to fix himself through personal effort. On a Sunday morning, deep snow blocked his path to his intended church, causing him to duck into the small chapel with only a handful of people inside. The regular minister was snowed in, so an untrained local layman (a shoemaker or tailor) stepped up to preach. The man read from:
Isaiah 45:22 “Look to me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God and there is no other.”
Running low on things to say, the speaker looked directly at Spurgeon—who looked miserable—and said, “Young man, you look very miserable. … You will never be saved unless you look. Look! Look, look! It is only ‘look!’” Spurgeon understood the gospel in an instant, the heavy spiritual darkness lifted, and he felt immediate peace and joy.
Called the “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon was a world-renowned preacher. At the young age of 22, Spurgeon was already preaching to audiences of over 10,000 people. Countless people throughout the world have profited from Spurgeon’s moving words.”
Your Story
Today you are certainly living your story. Politics and the sensational stories of the day hit us like a pie in the face. And many of the pies seem to be spoiled rotten. Let’s be men and women who are forever ready and eager to share our personal salvation stories. Our world desperately needs Jesus.
“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” — 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)
Telling stories of hope with you!
Posted in A Word from the Pastor