Meditation for Monday
But they had heard only that he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed, and they glorified God in me. Galatians 1:23-24
In a country far away from here, a small group of Christians had built a radio station, from which they faithfully sent forth the Gospel message, and which proved to be a great blessing to saint and sinner alike. Their faithfulness resulted in many souls being saved. But the radio station and its transmitter tower were on property that was next to a powerful supporter of the traditional religion in that country. This man proved to be a powerful opponent, doing everything he could to harrass the staff of the station, and to interrupt power to the transmitter. Several times he succeeded in forcing the station off the air for short periods. He had threatened violence against the station workers, and on one occasion tried to burn down the building. His opposition exhausted the resources of the Christians, and they came to the point where they realized they would need to shut down the station. As the station workers arrived for what they believed would be the last day of broadcasting, they were met by the very man who had opposed their presence. With tears in his eyes, he handed them a large sum of money, apologizing for his previous actions. This man told them that he had been injured in a car accident, and while in hospital, he had heard the Gospel on the radio station, and God had reached and saved him. From that point onward, this man was the most stalwart supporter of that radio station. His testimony reminds us very much of that of the Apostle Paul, as he describes in today’s text.
Do you know of anybody who has professed to be saved, but has not been any different from what they were before. For good reason, you doubt whether their profession is real. On the other hand, you also know people who have undergone great changes in their life, entire transformations, as a result of their conversion. You have very little doubts about those people. Not everybody undergoes such a dramatic change as Saul of Tarsus. But we all have experienced some degree of change, otherwise something is wrong.
What is different about you today from your unsaved days? What do you aappreciate now that you did not before? What direction has your life taken that it would never have ventured had you remained in your sins? Today, give thanks to God that He has delivered you from a wasted life, and given you something worthwhile to live for. -Jim MacIntosh