What's Your Story

Luke 8; Mark 5

[39] Return into thine own house, and shew what great things God hath done to thee. So he went his way, and preached throughout all the city, what great things Jesus had done unto him.

Luke 8:39 GNV

It was RED Friday and so I was wearing a red shirt. Many years ago I learned of RED _riday, that every Friday is RED Friday. After my son joined the military I began learning about being a military family. One of those new facts was to Remember Everyone Deployed, RED. This thought took me back forty years. I was working at a Bible college as a janitor in Chicago. Every workday morning as I entered through the entrance way of the main building (one of they many that surrounded a large courtyard) there way a huge American flag flying. As a civilian I would salute the flag and pray for the many soldiers in Vietnam at that time. But now many years later being reminded that many are deployed, not just in armed conflict, but deployed around the world to be always ready

But this Friday the red shirt I was wearing had a quote that spoke of my life in Jesus, actually how He continually works changing my life. That Froday I was in a store and a man there with his wife asked me, So what's your story?

When I hear questions like that I often think of my first wife's story. She picked up some very bad habits as a very young child, she fought with her brothers and sister, even hated her older brother. But her mother consistently prayed for her and taught her the truths of God's Word. Even though she was a very tough girl, even bully at times she knew if she continued as she was she would quickly end up in jail or be dead. One day as a teenager while working at the neighbor's farm her older brother came over and asked if he could help. She told him that they didn't need his kind of trash working with them and he left. As he crossed the lightly used country road on his bicycle back to their house he was hit by a car and flew 50-75 feet in the air. Her Mom heard the accident right in front of the house and grabbed towels and blankets not knowing who had gotten hurt. My first wife had come home to see what had happened. Again, on a road with little traffic a doctor just happening, no providentially driving drove up to see what had happened. He took him to the hospital. Her Mom had been staying the blood with the towels. Then her father had her gather all the towels and blankets bloodied with her brother’s blood all over them and was hand rinsing them of the blood in the bathtub. She prayed to God asking Him to save her brother's life, and she would give Him her life. Her brother is alive today. And the rest of her life was Jesus Christ’s.

So you might imagine when I was asked of my story, how was it when I came to faith in Christ I think, well, I don't have a great "story" like my wife. My story wasn't that nature of that wild man of Gadara who had a legion of demons cast out of him, who afterwards Jesus told him to go back home and tell what great things the Lord has done for you. Sometimes having come to faith in Christ so young I am deceived that I don't have a "great" story like my wife, or the wildman. Nevertheless I do have a story and because it is what God has done, that is what makes it great. Though I was very young I did recognize the difference of the reason I prayed when my Mom talked with me, and then later playing in the haybarn as I was thinking about it all. There was a conviction in my heart that what I intended praying before was to avoid the torment in hell. But what I really needed was to have faith in God to forgive me of sin and just believe God for both the forgiveness of sin, and the gift of eternal life in Him starting right then and there. Oh, there have been many years since that day, but everyone of them has been a consistent working through the power of the Holy Spirit to conform me to the image of God's Son, Jesus Christ.

So when I am asked, What's your story? I know I don't need a background like my first wife, or even that of the wild man of Gadara, I do know I must do what Jesus told this man, go tell what great things the Lord has done for you. I must tell that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me from all sin (1 John 1), that I have been redeemed by His blood, even the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1, Colossians 1), that I have been made near to Him by His blood (Ephesians 2), and I have been justified by His blood (Romans 5). My story is all of His grace. It is His story.

[21] But now is the righteousness, of God made manifest without the Law, having witness of the Law and of the Prophets, [22] To wit, the righteousness of God by the faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all that believe. [23] For there is no difference: for all have sinned, and are deprived of the glory of God, [24] And are justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] Whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness, by the forgiveness of the sins that are passed, [26] Through the patience of God, to shew at this time His righteousness, that He might be just, and a justifier of him which is of the faith of Jesus.

Romans 3:21-26 GNV

So what is my story? His story.