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1 Peter 1:25 – But the word of the Lord remains forever. And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. (NLT)
As I was walking around Murrayhill Lake near my home one fine summer morning, I spotted something lying on the park bench ahead of me. As I got closer, I saw that it was a small New Testament with a note, tied up with a festive ribbon. I carefully removed the handwritten note to read it, and saw that Sarah (as she had signed her note) had expressed her wish that the stranger picking up this gift would find the same hope, help, and comfort that she had received in reading her New Testament. Thank you, Sarah, for your thoughtful, prayerful action.
Carefully replacing the note, I placed the gift back where I'd found it and continued on my way. "Dear Lord," I prayed, "bless Sarah for her desire to share Your Word with others. May someone take this book and read it and find You within its pages." I will most likely never learn who Sarah is, but I can join her in praying for that stranger who may have picked up and read the New Testament that she left on the park bench.
Over the years, I have heard many testimonies of how people have come to know and trust Jesus as their Saviour. It has frequently been through the direct words and personal testimony of a friend or loved one who cares for them. It may have been through a sermon, a radio or television broadcast, or an evangelistic meeting of some kind.
Sometimes, however, God speaks to a person's heart through no other voice than His own words in Scripture. God's words can find their way into a heart through a bumper sticker, a tract, a billboard, or even — as I once heard the story — through a single page torn from a Bible and found lying on a sidewalk.
Perhaps, you've heard the quote, "Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words." This simply means that the gospel can be spread in various ways, whether verbal or silent. Sarah's words on her note card were clear. They were just not spoken out loud.
How did you first hear the message of salvation? In whatever form it came to you to prick your heart, it was God's message to you as revealed in the Bible. Thank Him for both the message and the messenger.
Something to think about: As we walk through our world, how can we share the gospel of salvation, through either word or deed? Perhaps we can start the conversation with just a smile and a kind word.
Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, it is Your words, not ours, that draw a person to You. May we do our part faithfully to show those around us, both in words and through our actions, that there is hope through Jesus' atoning work of salvation. Amen.
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Friday, April 19, 2024 – In Middle East — Thank you for praying for our Bible Study. We are having great times of fellowship and growing in His Word. Pray for God to make disciples who will be sensitive to His leading to share with others who will also trust in Him and share Him.
Prayers for Tom: "April 18, 2024: Update on Prayers for Tom posted on Sunday, August 6, 2023: Tom is still undergoing..." 
Amen, Gail.
Yes, it is Gail, blessings.
Very well told and memorable, Gail. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you, Gail. This reminds me of the hymn: “Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life”.
Thank you, Gail, for sharing this encouraging devotional with us. May God bless you richly! Blessings.
Hello Gail and Daily
Thank you for this heart-warming story. What an interesting thing to do. Praying the right person picked it up. God bless.
Thank you for your devotional to live and speak for Jesus. On the one hand we need to earn our right to be heard, and then live and speak clearly for Jesus.
Blessings.
Greetings Gail,
I so enjoyed your devotional this morning as it brought back memories of my early childhood when I first came to hear about Jesus in Sunday school. In those days in our community few people had vehicles and when a minister and his wife moved into our area and started a church, the minister came around in his big station wagon on Sunday mornings and picked up children in the village and took us to Sunday School. It was such a thrill being driven in a vehicle and added extra excitement to going to Sunday school and that was my start to learning about Jesus and my faith has continued through my life these many, many years since. Truly learning about the Lord happens both through words and actions. Blessings for these special writings you do.
Hi Gail,
I found your devotional so enjoyable. And it reminded me of when my husband and I were involved in Kairos Prison Ministries. Talk about coming to Christ through different means. I remember one man who went on the weekend because he wanted homemade cookies. He came for the cookies, but he took Christ with him. Once he was released, he continued to follow Christ.
God works in mysterious ways. I left the church as a child but got re-introduced as an adult. I had no idea I would ever be involved in prison ministry, but I was led there.
I was moved by your topic of how God works in our lives, sometimes without our realizing it.
Thank you so much.
Dear Gail,
A great way to share the Word to others and an example of the importance of prayer to encourage and help others. You are right that there are so many ways to find Jesus in people’s lives and God is in control and we are just hopefully the starting point, the middle point, or the encouraging point on someone’s journey. We never know what will be the instigation, so we should always be open to starting the conversation, encouraging the person, and praying for the person.
Thank you for encouraging others with your experiences and your faith. May you continue to inspire others to spreading His Word and the hope that it gives to all of us. In Canada, we just celebrated our Thanksgiving and we have been blessed with a couple of weeks of warm weather which added to our gratitude of all that we have been given. Your devotional is another blessing and reminder of the importance of Jesus in our lives. Blessings.