Some years ago I met a man whose language was so foul I knew that he couldn’t possibly be a Christian and that there was no hope that he ever would be! But here comes the rest of the story.
A few years later I found myself serving as chairman of a community mental health committee and as it turned out, this man’s wife was the secretary of the committee. This committee met more or less regularly and through this work I became acquainted with her. As is so often the case, she was the polar opposite of her husband. She was soft spoken and very religious. I learned that she even was an officer in her church.
Unfortunately as time passed, she discovered that her church supported abortion. In her professional life she was a nurse and worked with mothers and their young children. She could not accept the fact that the church she had so avidly supported would now take a stand that refused to support the rights of unborn babies.
She was determined to find another church. Since I had worked with her on this committee in our community, she confided all this in me. She then told me that in her search for a new church that she would start with the Lutheran church. I explained to her our process of adult instruction. We didn’t want someone to join our church only to find out some months or years later that our teachings are something that they found objectionable.
Then the first miracle happened. She convinced her husband to attend classes with her. Yes, this is the same man who in my opinion would never be a Christian. I must admit that I approached those first classes with more than a little anxiety.
The second miracle came when at the end of the course of instruction both she and her husband chose to be confirmed! Not only that, they eventually became counselors for a Lutheran summer camp!
Some time in the process this woman came to me and exclaimed, “If I would have known what becoming a Lutheran would do for my husband, I would have joined your church long ago.”
Lesson learned! Never give up on a loved one or friend who seems to be a hopeless case. God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Prayer: Our Father, who art in heaven, may your will be done in our lives and in the lives of those we love. May the word of Christ’s grace and forgiveness touch the lives of people around me. Amen.
God’s richest blessings in Christ,
Pastor Philip Quardokus
Download a pdf of all the Lenten devotions here.
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