The restaurant I decided to go to for breakfast closed on me! I didn’t appreciate that. Oh well. I prayed to go to the right place, and I prayed to have the right waiter or waitress, so I headed out to find another restaurant.
After being seated and as I was reading my Bible, Holly walked up to me. I met her the last time I was there. She said, “I was waiting for you to come back!” Well, then we were off to the races!
She let me know that she had been an addict, but she has been clean for five years now. She still deals with temptations. She wanted to know how she could be sure she would be forgiven of her sins.
We took some time to talk about justification. I simply broke it down for her, since it basically means “Paid in Full.” Once you pay the last car payment or the last mortgage note, you don’t have to make another payment the next month or ever again. And the reason is very simple: the debt has been paid in full.
John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
God gives us everlasting life when we believe in Him. If He could take it back, would it be everlasting life? If we could lose it, would it be everlasting life?
Holly really liked that verse. It made sense to her that everlasting means everlasting.
John 3:36
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
This is another good verse to use with people.
But as with many people, she is struggling with the idea that God will forgive her, now or in the future. So I asked her, “When Jesus died for your sins, were all of your sins still future at that moment?” Her jaw about hit the floor. She had never thought of it that way before. Remember that, y’all. When Jesus died for our sins, they were all future. He died for all of our past, present, and future sins. Kind of a simple concept to think about.
I asked Jose, my waiter, “What do you think happens when you die?” Well, we were off to the races, too! Jose was 31 and said he got saved three months earlier. I asked him why he did that. He mentioned that he and his wife were struggling with alcohol. He was not a good person when he drank, and his wife would black out after just a couple of beers. As we continued chatting, he wasn’t 100 percent sure he believed he would go to Heaven when he died.
So, we spent some time walking through sin, the cross, the resurrection, and what the blood of Jesus Christ does for us.
I used the same verse that I used with Holly. It made total sense to him. Everlasting means everlasting. He loved to read and took three books and both booklets. I actually went to my car to get some Spanish books for him to give to his friends and the pastor of the church he attends.
I left Jose a nice tip and told him that Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive.
I also told him that I had prayed for the right waiter today, and he was the right one for sure. And that the money I gave him could help him with the expenses for his seven kids. This big man, covered from head to toe in tattoos, just began to weep. He really needed the blessing. Every table of his, so far, had one person sitting by themselves, and the tips weren’t so hot. He was so grateful.
One reason it is fun to keep your living expenses low is so you can bless others in their time of need. Jose shook my hand and gave me a hug before I left. What a great morning! Couldn’t wait to find out what the rest of the day held for me!
Until the nets are full,
P.S. Stewart emailed us to say how excited he was to receive his order of One Heartbeat Away in Spanish. He is reaching the subcontractors who work for him. Great idea! God is using the seeds you plant for Him as well. Keep planting!
P.P.S.
