Intentional, Persistent Christ Conversations

Keeping a journal has been something I have started several times.  However, last year I started and have been consistent all year. Somewhere along the way, I decided to read last year’s entry as part of my quiet time. It would be a time to remember what God had been doing in my life. In addition, I also wanted to begin blogging again. I have to admit, this is mainly for my benefit. Writing helps me. So, I decided to combine these two ideas and put some of my journal entries with some commentary into a blog post. I hope these will also be an encouragement to others.

In this post, I want to encourage intentional, persistent Christ conversations with this testimony to God’s faithfulness and power. The following is the result of God’s work through the means of conversations about Christ. These varied depending on what I had been reading in the word. These went on for about a year before any visible evidence. Here is my journal entry after hearing the news from a delivery driver that I encountered each week:

Friday, January 25, 2013:

“[The driver] had a major break through this past weekend concerning the gospel. I’ve been talking to him every week about something (gospel, life, work). He claimed to be a believer. He had not attended church in years. I tried to find him a place to visit (he lives 120 miles away) but no success. However, God nudged this man in a way that only He could do. Last week we had an ice storm in the area. He had an experience that scared him very much. So, he decided to go to church . He also took his eleven year old son. While there his son made a profession of faith. [The driver] was shocked but over-joyed. We will be praying for this ongoing situation. [The driver] said it was his turn this Sunday. May the Lord cause the gospel to do amazing things in their lives.”

This was a real encouragement to me. I was struggling with usefulness. I had begun to think I was wasting my life in my current life situation. I believe God has called me to pastoral ministry. As I write this post, that has not become a reality. However, the Lord revealed to me the ministries already going on. In the space of a week, I realized this ministry with my friend, my daughter and another customer who had asked for prayer concerning work. As of right now, the delivery driver and his family have come or returned to the Lord and are actively seeking His Kingdom. My daughter made a profession of faith and was baptized. The customer found work. Praise God for His amazing grace.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7  “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”