Passage of the Day:
I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21 Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me, Galatians 1:11-24.
Reflection:
When I first became a Christian in the middle of my sophomore year of high school, people in church began to ask me, “what’s your story?” Since I had no idea what they were talking about, I asked my swim coach who became my spiritual mentor. Coach Horne led me to today’s passage where the apostle Paul shares his spiritual background which led him to follow Jesus. Ken referred to this as Paul’s testimony where an individual reflects upon their life prior to being introduced to Jesus, their conversation experience and how God has changed their life. This is what I mean by urging readers to tell your story to others.
Prayerful Action:
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis[b] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed, Mark 5:18-20.
Retracing Your Steps:
According to Jesus, it was more important for the man who had be set free from demonic possession to tell others about Jesus than immediately become a disciple. One powerful aspect of a testimony is that your story of how you came to faith in Christ can reach people that others can’t. If you follow the model in Galatians 1:11-24, you can highlight specific addictions, bad habits and cravings that you couldn’t escape. While not everyone has a road to Damascus transformation, there are events that set the stage for you to come to Jesus, Romans 10:9-10. Finally, point to how the Holy Spirit has altered your vocabulary, behavior and overall life. If you place this in an outline form on a notecard, you’ll be ready the next time someone asks, “what’s your story?”
Song of the Day:
May the lyrics of today’s song inspire you to get prepared to share your testimony sometime in April. May the showers that accompany this time of year result in a spiritual awakening in your life this Spring.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 