Moments Together for Couples 3/7

by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

1 Corinthians 2:1,2
And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

During my first two years in college I was a mission field, and during the last two years I was a missionary. Let me explain.

Although I was a Christian during high school and early college, I believed Christ died only to save me from eternal condemnation, nothing more. As great a man as Jesus was, I had learned to treat Him simply as a spare tire. When a crisis arose, I'd pull Him out and ask for His help. Then, when it passed, He was once again relegated to the trunk.

In college I achieved almost every goal I'd set: honors and acceptance in the "in crowd," tangible achievements for all to see. Yet spiritually I felt on the bottom. My life was empty. Living had no purpose.

At the age of 20 I began to grapple with the truth about life. Then I met a Person who transformed my life from gray, dull, drab purposelessness into the Technicolor thrill of knowing, experiencing and following God.

Please note: I met a Person. I didn't learn a set of ancient precepts or a rigid collection of dogma. It wasn't law. It was love...the personified love of God manifested in the Person of Jesus Christ. That love softened a calloused, proud heart and caused it to repent. No longer did Christianity mean stale, boring rituals; instead, it was a refreshing relationship with Christ, and a knowledge of His appointed purpose for my life.

Since then I've sought daily to give my life to Jesus Christ and be used as He thinks best. That, my friend, is the greatest thrill imaginable.

John Wesley wrote: "Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but God, who hate nothing but sin, and who know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and I will shake the world."

The world needs to be shaken. Christ the man, Christ the Savior, is Christ the revolutionary. Are you part of His revolution or are you in need of being revolutionized? Are you a mission field or a missionary?

Prayer:

That the Person of Christ will take away all hesitancy and resistance to totally commit your life to Him.

Discuss: Are you experiencing, avoiding or ignoring the love of God manifested through Christ Jesus? How does your life presently reflect your priorities?

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