Micca
Campbell
"Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be
saved,
for you are the one I praise." (Jeremiah 17:14 NIV)
For twenty years, my brother was absent from our
family
because of drug addiction. Countless times, we thought he was dead;
according to
drug abuse statistics, he should have been. However, my brother is living
proof
that God is in the restoration business. It doesn't matter who you are, what
you've done, or what has been done to you. God is willing and able to turn
any
tragedy into triumph.
After entering many treatment programs with hopes of
success and end results of failure, my brother finally found the answer:
Jesus.
It wasn't until he met the Lord that he experienced lasting healing and life
change. Suddenly, all things became new.
My brother didn't have the strength, willpower, or
ability
to free himself from bondage, but that changed when he surrendered his life
to
Christ. The same is true for us. No matter what the bondage is—drugs, lust,
gluttony, pride, anger, or fear—until we renounce our sickness and surrender
to
Christ, we will never experience freedom. On the other hand, when we are
willing
to give King Jesus our mess, He turns it into our message. And that's
exactly
what happened to my brother. Not a day goes by that my brother doesn't look
for
opportunities to brag on God and share His message of
hope.
Such an opportunity arose one evening when my sister,
brother, and I met together for dinner at a local restaurant. Our server was
twenty-six-year-old Tiffany. Right away, we noticed two things about
Tiffany.
She had a natural gift for putting people at ease, and she was very
pregnant.
While we enjoyed her kind service, we had no idea that God would soon call
us to
serve her.
It started when my sister refused to allow my brother
to
pay for her dinner. While my sister loves to give to others, she's not so
good
at receiving. I, on the other hand, understood that it gave my brother great
pleasure to pick up the check. The Lord knows I didn't want to deny him his
blessing!
Poor Tiffany found herself caught in the middle. Eager
to
win her over to his side, my brother said to Tiffany, "You see, I was a drug
addict for years. During that time, my sisters did a lot for me. Now, I just
want to bless them."
Tiffany's eyes widened. "You were a drug addict?" she
inquired. "I would have never guessed."
"Yes, I was," my brother replied. "But Jesus changed
all
that." Then he told Tiffany his life-changing story.
"I went from being lost to being found; from being
homeless to being a homeowner; from being an employee to owning my own
business;
from being bound by drugs to being set free in Christ."
Tears filled Tiffany's eyes as we shared God's love
with
her. That's not all. Later that week, we confirmed God's love to her by
presenting her with a gift for her baby.
When you and I—like my brother—allow God to turn our
mess
into our message, He not only changes our lives, but He changes the lives of
others too.
Dear Lord, Your mercy astounds me. Give me opportunities to
speak
of Your hope so others may know Your goodness and salvation. In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Monday, Monday...
Have a Blessed Day,
Richard
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