“Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. At first, they were in awe—and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, but he wouldn’t let him. Jesus said, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.” (Mark 5:16-20 The Message Bible)
My phone rang early yesterday morning. On the other end was a contractor letting me know that he was around the corner. He was really around the corner. He was not like those individuals who say, I’m just around the corner” and they are on the other side of town, just making it around the interstate that circles the city. He was on time. I open the garage door and he enters, maintaining a safe distance. He greets me with an uplifting tone and gave the impression that he was very happy. He saw my pile of “junk” that was organized in a line from the back of the garage to the front, but that did not alter his demeanor. After a brief introduction, every sentence he started out with, even as he worked, was about what the Lord had done in his life. He’s working and I’m listening. He tells me that he is saved and shares that he was baptized in Kansas at a Christian Community Church. He is still working, but he can’t stop talking about what the Lord had done for him. He was non-stop. His voice was filled with gladness and without hesitation, he told me how the Lord had saved him more that ten times in his life. He’s still working and he’s still talking. I showed him this archaic TV in the lower level that would typically take two string men to lift. The contractor said that he would get it up stairs and into the truck he was driving somehow, some way. He says as I watched him maneuver the TV up the stairs that the Lord is still working miracles. I concur that the Lord still intervenes in the life of people and causes the impossible to be possible and the unthinkable to be thinkable. With every step, he reveals his faith and shares a testimony. All you would have heard from me was moaning and groaning. That was not the case with this young man. As he pulled the TV up the ramp, unimaginable and unseen strength, he was still telling his story. He said that he knew that the Lord had a special calling on his life and he just does not know what it is yet. I inject some accounts from the Bible about the unfolding of Joseph’s story in Genesis and Moses’ story in Exodus. I express that the Lord is doing the same in his life. I asked him what church he attends. He told me the name and address. He added that he loved church, but not church politics; too many rules. I’m in the dialogue now, still did not share I was a pastor. I respond to his statement by telling him that Jesus addressed this issue in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” I affirmed the general truth in this statement, but pointed out that Jesus was speaking about all the rules and regulations that existed in “church” polity of that time. The contractor nods his head and tells more of his story. He says that his favorite chapter in the Bible is John 10. I reply, “You mean the one about the Good Shepherd, Jesus?” He says, “Yes” and goes on to talk about the Good Shepherd’s love and care for His sheep. He keeps on telling his story, but he is working all the time. We go through the payment process via a company app on his phone. When the transaction is done, I asked was that his personal phone and shared about Mark Writes meditations. He asked me for the blog site, and I gave it to him. Unable to open it from his phone, he asked me to email it to him. After he left, I immediately sent him a meditation with the blog address. But before he left, as he was closing his heavy truck doors, he continued to tell his story about how the Lord changed him and in fact was still changing him.
I know that the paragraph above was long, but my prescription for you is short: “Tell Your Story!” Tell somebody, anybody, or even witness to everybody about the great things that the Lord has done for you and how things changed when Jesus came into your life. Be bold believer! Be like the man in the opening verse and the man in my garage. Tell your story to somebody today! Be blessed!
“…and you shall be My witnesses…” (Acts 1:8 NASB)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King