Grace Notes

The Bible Says

A Motorcycle Witness

17 Nov 2008 at 6:00am

Photo: Lindsay Baronoskie

I was on my way home late one afternoon when out of the corner of my eye I saw a man ride past me on his motorcycle. My husband and I are members of the Christian Motorcycle Association (CMA), so I took more than a glance when I saw that he was riding an antique Harley Davidson. Wow, what a nice bike!

A few moments later I pulled up to an accident scene. The biker was sprawled on the sidewalk in front of Dunkin' Donuts, and the twisted metal of his Harley was crumpled on the sidewalk. My heart was pounding! I pulled into the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot. Bikers take care of their own, and here was one of my biker brothers, critically wounded. He wasn't moving.

Soon the police, paramedics, and fireman arrived. I watched helplessly as they cared for him. A friend of mine who saw the accident told me that the biker had flown over his handlebars like a rag doll, doing a triple somersault! His helmet was split in half, and the medics were cutting off his clothes.

The elderly gentleman who hit him said that he had been temporarily blinded by the sun. My heart went out to him too. He must feel awful, I thought.

I knew I had to do something and silently began praying for the biker: God, have compassion on this man! Don't let him die! Save him!

There was blood on the sidewalk where the biker had landed, and he had a huge lump on his temple. My heart pounded as I waited to for the ambulance to leave.

Pray

I handed my CMA card with my name and address to one of the police officers. I told him I was a Christian from the CMA and asked if I could have the injured man's name and phone number, promising that our chapter would pray for him. I was surprised that he obliged. I thanked him and left.

When I got home I noticed that I was shaking. I got on my computer and e-mailed an urgent request asking my other CMA members to join me in prayer. I asked God for a miracle of healing for this man.

I called the number I'd been given and left a message on the answering machine that the members of the CMA were praying for him. Two days later, I got a phone call from the injured biker's mother. She was crying as she thanked me for praying for her eldest son. She told me that with his injuries he shouldn't even be alive, but because of our prayers, the protrusion on his temple was totally gone the very next day and he was already home from the hospital. He has a slight fracture in his leg and a concussion, but God had indeed answered our prayers and had spared his life.

Three days later, a couple of our friends, my husband, and I rode our motorcycles over to meet the injured biker face to face. I could hardly believe he was the same man I had seen sprawled on the sidewalk. We had an opportunity to share our faith with him. We told him that God had spared his life and had a plan for his life.

My husband and I have also stayed in touch with the older gentleman who hit the biker. We invited him and his lady friend over for dinner and shared our faith with them. His lady friend began attending prayer meetings with me and invited Jesus into her life. God puts us in divine appointments. All He expects of us is to be obedient to His call to share the love of Jesus with those who are waiting to hear.

"Pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).

Respond to this articleView Reader Comments
________________________________

By Barbara Joy Hansen. Reprinted with permission from Signs of the Times, May 2008. Copyright © 2008 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture take from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Integrity

13 Nov 2008 at 6:00am

Photo: Dreamstime

He confidently made the oath and the waiting crowd was amazed by the unexpected outcome! A Chinese man named Xu, who swore he didn't owe money that he had borrowed from a neighbor, was hit by lightning 60 seconds later. Southeast Express reports that Xu made the oath in front of a crowd of neighbors in the city of Fuqing. He vowed that he had never borrowed money from Mr. Huang, who claimed Xu had borrowed 500 yuan (about $70 U.S.) three years earlier.

"He borrowed 500 yuan three years ago from me for a friend's marriage gift, but he has denied it ever since then," said Huang, who went to Xu's home to demand payment.

"I told him that if he dared to swear to God that he didn't owe me the money, then I would waive his debt," said Huang.1 Xu was taken to the hospital after being struck by lightning immediately after swearing that he never borrowed the money. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Mere Coincidence?

Is this incredible occurence a mere coincidence, or divine retribution from an angry God toward a lying cheat? Mr. Huang definitely believes the latter, and no one seems to be able to convince him otherwise.

It's difficult for any of us to conclusively comment on such a strange spectacle of nature. Most of us don't know Xu (or Mr. Huang for that matter). I wouldn't attempt to speculate on Xu's guiltiness, and it probably wouldn't matter much if I did. I can't possibly know the validity of Mr. Huang's claim that Xu owed money, but the story did make me stop and think about a verse of scripture that illuminates honest interaction.

"Don't say anything you don't mean" (Matthew 5:33).

When we express something to someone else, the Bible exhorts us to do that honestly and with integrity. If we claim to be Christians and yet choose not to keep an upstanding profile for the rest of the world to see, our actions speak louder than our words ever can. The fear of divine retribution shouldn't be the motivation for our unshakable integrity. It ought to come by us naturally!

1 Annanova News Story

Respond to this articleView Reader Comments
_____________________________

By Michael Temple. Copyright © 2008 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE / REMIX ®.

Facing Fear

10 Nov 2008 at 6:00am

Photo: Erick Nguyen

The news on Wall Street these days is not very encouraging. I doubt financial investors are sleeping well, and neither are many average citizens. Uncertainty and confusion are common companions.

As I ponder the currently bleak economic outlook, I'm reminded of Joshua in the Old Testament. I love the book of Joshua because it is so encouraging. Over and over God says to this young man, "Be strong! Be courageous! Don't be discouraged or afraid."

Joshua had plenty of reasons to be both discouraged and afraid. He was responsible for dealing with the concerns of approximately one million people who were prone to compulsive, reactive, complaining behaviors. As a group, they did not have the greatest track record! Yet Joshua had been commissioned to lead this undisciplined mass of humanity into a land of giants and walled cities to conquer it and take possession.

Why shouldn't Joshua be afraid? Verses 5 and 9 of Joshua chapter 1 give the answer very clearly: God was with him. God promised never to leave Joshua or forsake him.

Cleared the Path

Yes, there were huge challenges. Obstacles abounded. Seeming impossibilities loomed. But the promise "The Lord your God will be with you" took precedence. It cleared the path. It subdued Joshua's fear and buoyed up his courage.

Life in today's society has created massive loads of fear. People fear they will lose their health, their families, their homes and their money. Fear of the unknown and fear of failure plague large numbers of people, essentially immobilizing them.

On the other hand, courage is not necessarily the total absence of fear. Sometimes courage is simply fear in action. It is facing your fears and naming them. It is choosing to believe that the Power beside you is greater than the problem in front of you.

Is courage still available in a world which seems to be spiraling out of control? For those who choose to believe God is with them always no matter what happens, it is.

Respond to this articleView Reader Comments
______________________________

By Brenda Dickerson. Copyright © 2008 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture take from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Seeing Clearly

6 Nov 2008 at 6:00am

Photo: Ken Hurst

Okay, I'm finally convinced! I need glasses. Rather, I need to wear glasses.

I remember when I got my first glasses a couple of years ago. I became quickly frustrated. I didn't like wearing them. I hadn't worn glasses my whole life and they were a nuisance to me. I also lacked patience adjusting to the hide-and-seek bi-focal portion of the lenses. So, I gave up on them.

"I can see okay without them," I told my friend Sherrill. "I don't need them enough to put up with them."

"You will," she said simply.

"No, I won't," I thought to myself.

But Sherrill was right— not immediately, mind you. I remained stubborn for some time, squinting during night driving and blinking deeply while reading small print. Finally, however, I had to admit it was time.

The turning point came when I was calling tech support for my computer and ended up hearing a sultry voice on the other end offering to assist me in a very non-tech support style! Disgusted, I hung up and redialed. Again, the sensual voice.

One Little Number

I don't believe it! I ranted to the recording, positive that the mix-up in numbers had to be the fault of tech support. I decided to go online to the tech support website and contact them that way. Boy, was I going to fill them in! How could they not be aware that the number they were giving to people was leading them to the disgusting recording that was still lingering in my ears. I found the number on the website and, lo and behold, it was the same as the one I had been using. The only problem was I had mistaken an 8 for a 6! Oops! What a monumental difference one little number can make in actually connecting with the person you are intending to reach. What a completely different picture can be presented when one isn't seeing clearly!

So now, I admit that I need glasses in order to clearly see what I'm doing. I also realize that I need God's Word to help me see clearly as I make decisions in my life and in my daily walk with Jesus. What a difference one decision can make if my spiritual sight is blurred. A lack of God's Word in my life can end up leading me to a very unexpected destination. The Bible provides spiritual eyesight for a clear vision of what my path should be.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalms 119:105).

Respond to this article View Reader Comments
______________________________

By Gwen Scott Simmons. Copyright © 2008 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Newsfeed display by CaRP