The Elders
came over with a form for me to sign that I would read the Bible every day,
even if I didn’t feel like reading it.
I told them,
“You can fire me now but I can’t sign that form. I am not reading the Bible.
I’ll read the book of Ecclesiastes…it is the only book that makes any sense. I
do believe in God but I’m not sure His Word is all we have made it out to be.”
God heard
all that and God decided No Problem. I have lots of others ways to speak to
you. Two things happened.
One was my
daughter Catherine bringing me the Bible to read as a bedtime story. I was
irritated because I didn’t want to read the Word but how do you tell a child
you don’t want to read the Bible.
“I was wiped out but I heard God’s voice through the
story.”
That was one
way God got the Word back in my heart and the other was the Diary of Ann
Franck. I was watching an old version of the film in black and white. I
remember seeing all the frail people fighting over crumbs. These people were
under the oppression of Hitler. I realized that Lost people are under the
oppression of evil.
I recalled
the song that was sung at my ordination, a song that I have always loved,
“People need the Lord.” I felt called by God to rescue the lost people. I felt
I had the answer. People need the Lord. They are dying and I had the solution
but I can’t get to them anymore. I felt like a gladiator who wanted to fight
but that I was outside the ring.
I remember
weeping and crying and saying what are we going to do. I’m on the sidelines. I
called Bob Yawbeg ( a pastor’s pastor) later that night and he said “Jeff you
are a gladiator and you will fight again but right now God is doing something
in you to prepare you for the long haul. Let it happen.”
I now
realize it wasn’t God but it was me to blame.
Jeff Wilson
Birmingham, Alabama
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