July 14, 2014

What Prompted You?

Devotion  for the Week...

What prompted you to start quilting? During the New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop I've read lots of different reasons, ranging from 'my mom taught me as a kid' to 'my dog chewed up his blanket and I thought I could make him a new one'. I started because I saw a quilt magazine in a store one day and decided I wanted to make a quilt. When I told my mom about my interest later, she picked up a magazine for me as part of my Christmas gift.

Though the initial prompts were different, something about quilting struck your interest and mine and captured our attention enough that we decided to invest both our time and money in this hobby. And am I ever glad Mom bought me that first magazine!

What prompted you to believe that Jesus is real, that He lived and died to offer salvation to any who believe? I've heard of people who believed after listening to a certain song, or who talked with a friend who explained the gospel at just the right moment. For me, it was a combination of listening to conversations among my husband's family and listening to radio broadcasts by Focus on the Family and Insight for Living.

The Bible records many people who came to believe in Jesus as the Messiah while He still walked the earth, and of many more who came to believe after He had ascended into Heaven after His resurrection.

John 2:11 - "This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him."

John 10:40-42 - "Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” And in that place many believed in Jesus."

John 4:39-42 - "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Luke 23:39-43 - "One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 
       But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”  
      Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 
       Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Acts 2:40, 41 - "And with many other words he [Peter] testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”  Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them."
 
Acts 8: 26-40 - Philip explains a passage of Scripture to an Ethiopian who believes and immediately wants to be baptized. 

Acts 9:1-18 - Saul, later to be called Paul, is on the road to Damascus, intending to imprison anyone he can find there who worships Jesus. Jesus speaks to Saul, temporarily blinding him and Saul believes and serves Jesus from that moment on.

There are many other examples, of course.What I find interesting is that God doesn't have only one way He uses to bring people to Himself. It was true of those people whose stories are recorded in the Bible and it's still true today. God knows each person intimately. He knows how we think and what will capture our interest and attention in a way that will allow us to understand the truth about Jesus and then to believe. 

This is comforting to me as I think about people I know who have no intention of setting foot inside a church, or of reading a Bible. It's okay. God knows this about them. He knows how to reach them. This doesn't mean that everyone will accept Jesus, of course, much as we wish that it did. It does mean, though, that there is no 'only' way for people to hear the truth and understand it. There are many possibilities and God can use any or all of them as needed to woo those who don't yet believe. My job is not to worry about how He could possibly reach them, but to be available in case His plans include using me in some way.

3 comments:

  1. I can tell that I like you already. I like that you share your beliefs and that you are a stay at home mom. The fact that you are a quilter makes it all even better. Children NEED their mothers to nurture them. That is our job as mothers and there is no greater job or purpose for us. Thank you for your post.

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  2. Very timely message Leanne. I have been sitting here preshrinking and cutting out background squares for the Ben Biggs BOM thinking how can I share the message of God's salvation through Jesus to my new found family in Poland who I will be visiting in a few months and I get a message to find my 88 year old aunt has fallen and broken her hip. So I Pray.

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    1. Oh your poor aunt! I will pray for her too, and I'll pray that you'll have opportunities to share while you are in Poland.

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