The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Last week, 6 busses were held up at gunpoint in broad daylight (10 a.m.). On one of those busses, we had a Bible School student who was headed, with his wife, to register for school. Unfortunately, all of the money he had in this world (nearly $600), was taken by the thieves. This was the "ugly". I'll start there.

There is some good in this story, as well. Not only are people responding to help this young man replace those funds, but on another bus held up that day, 4 professional photographers were on their way back home. They had been commissioned to take pictures of 4 churches that had recently been built and dedicated, so that we could show the donors that the job had been well done. Fortunately, the thieves were not interested in cameras, so they did not lose their means of livelihood. We are grateful for this.

As I heard about these thugs and their bad and ugly actions, I was reminded of Psalm 1, where it says that the "wicked are like the chaff, which the wind blows away". At the end of the chapter, it says, "For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish". They may get away with it now, but it isn't the final word. It's wonderful to be reminded of that.

Mr. G

I met Mr. G yesterday. He used to be in another religion, but today he is a follower of Jesus. His testimony was powerful and his coming to Christ started with a believer that he met in the U.S. laying hands on him and praying a blessing on him. God answered that prayer within hours of the prayer and that started him on the search. The second time he encounted believers, was when he was in a hospital following an accident. Believers came around praying for the sick and asked him if they could pray for him. He agreed and God did a miracle on the spot! This brought him closer.

After becoming a believer, he found out that a young lady in his neighborhood had been praying 15 years for his salvation. She often came with a friend and stood outside his home to pray for him.

Since becoming a follower of Jesus, he has lost everything. He has been offered lots of money to come back to his former faith, but he says he would rather die of starvation that leave Jesus.

It was a day of rejoicing for me to hear this man and his wives testify of their faith. It was also a reminder of the power of prayer. Prayer had its impact on Mr. G's life. Let's renew our prayer for the lost, in specific and personal ways!