Last Sunday I was blessed to attend an amazing night of women's worship at Crossroads Community Church and the focus of the night was "Her Story". There were great testimonies shared and the beautiful conclusion is that each of our stories ultimately is His story. When we allow God to take the broken pieces of our lives and redeem them through our belief in what Jesus did on the cross, we not only use all the bad in our lives for good, but He gets the glory because He is the Creator. He is our Savior. I have the Blessed Assurance that Jesus is mine. And it is my obligation and duty to share the Truth about who He is and what He has done in my life. That is my testimony. Please open your bible and read Deuteronomy 6 or click here.
The Israelites have just received the 10 Commandments and are being reminded how important it is to obey these laws but also to teach them to the future generations."These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life." (v.1-2)
Not only were they supposed to teach the commandments, this is where we also see the Shema first introduced. This is the very sacred prayer that the Jews would recite daily to remember and honor God: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."(v.4-9) They were actually supposed to write this prayer on their doorposts in the form of little scrolls and they would also literally wear the words. This is still common practice today. This prayer of remembrance and devotion is vital to every Jewish person, a sort of pledge of allegiance. It is a reason for wanting to obey the commandments - because God is worthy. Do we take the time every day to praise God for Who He is and all He has done? The part that I find most interesting is that it didn't end here. God didn't just give them the laws. They were also commanded to tell their children about their story. "In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lordour God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” (v.20-25)
In the future, when my daughter asks me why I live the life I live devoted to God, I will tell her that in so many ways, God has always loved me and been there for me. I will tell her of my personal relationship with Him and how there is no one else more worthy of all my praise. There will be many different stories I will be able to share with her of what He has done in and through me. My great hope is that I will also be able to share the story of how I struggled with my own thorn in the flesh the first 33 years of my life and then one day, the Lord allowed me to finally get it. As it is said in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, "Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan,to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." It is my humble prayer that I will be able to tell her that there is nothing too great that God cannot do and that with Him all things are possible, even weight management!
And this testimony is not only for my daughter and for my daughter's daughters. I believe we are to share our story with all of God's children. Revelation 12:11 reminds us that "They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony." What the Devil wanted to use to harm and destroy me, I can turn around and use to bring glory to God. I can allow God to use my testimony to help other people even though I am still watching this part of my life unfold right now. What is your testimony? What are you willing to let God use to help others? When you let light shine on the darkest areas of your life, you become a beacon of hope to others who have also been traveling through their own murky waters and storms. Let us always be watching for the voices calling out for help and the ones that are not even calling yet. The truth is, God doesn't need me. He wants me and He chooses to use me if I let Him. But if I don't step forward, He will just find someone else to use. I am the one who is blessed to be an active part of His plan. Perhaps, God wants to use you today. Will you let Him?
Father, thank you for my story because it is the evidence of you alive and working in me. Forgive me for not being the perfect witness I wish I could be for You and instead use my imperfections to remind others that we are all alike. We all are in need of You because apart from You, we are never good enough. Thank you for chiseling away at our imperfections but also loving us just the way we are. Every day, may my life proclaim to all the nations, "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One!" Amen.
Now Choose Life.
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