New Things

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2Corinthians5:17

It's so exciting for me to see the Holy Spirit brighten someones face. That moment when the light comes on and they are filled with an unfamiliar joy that they recognize as God himself. The realization that HE REALLY DOES LOVE ME oozes out thier eyeballs. I can't thank God enough for allowing me to see the miracle of a new creation in Christ. When they read the Bible, it all makes sense. They now have the interpretor and it feels like being let into an exclusive club.

I remember it well. I was sitting at a table with an unopened Bible in front of me and a cassette deck playing an old Chuck Swindol tape. Chuck read a verse that said something about a lamb being led to the slaughter not opening it's mouth... I randomly opened the Bible and looked down at the page. My heart froze as the verse he was reading was the same verse my eyes landed on. My mind shrieked, "Oh NO! God is real and I am in deeeeep trouble!" I asked God to forgive me for the mess I'd made of my life and my whole being was filled with an unexplainable peace and joy. I felt like I was walking 2 feet off the ground. When I went to bed that night, I laid the Bible on the headboard and prayed saying, "Okay God, if this feeling is gone tomorrow, I'm going to chalk it up to zeal and too much coffee." The next morning I grabbed the Bible, randomly opened it with my eyes closed, pointed to a verse, opened my eyes and read, "The joy of the Lord is new every morning..."

Today, I'm praying for those who need to know that God is real and that He really does love them!