Bible verse of the Day Tuesday October 10th, 2023

Philemon 1:25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

The words of blessings to everyone today are in very short supply. In the fallen state of humanity, in this day and age, scorn and mockery are used much more often than commending one another. In the family of God, we are supposed to use words for the benefit and blessings of others rather than verbally tearing someone down. Paul used "grace" in communicating with Philemon, who needed God's grace to forgive Onesimus. Philemon could not offer forgiveness to his wayward servant Philemon without the grace of God upon his heart and soul. We do not know what the outcome of this situation became. However, in this case, the Roman Government released Paul from prison, so we can only assume that he was good to his word and visited Philemon in Colosse.

The greatest blessing we can bestow on any human being is introducing them to Christ Jesus, the only way to salvation and eternal life. There are billions of people on this planet we all live on that does not know who Jesus is and the blessings that are in store for those who know him as their Lord and Savior. God has a way to let us know when we are in the presence of a lost person who needs the message of salvation and eternal life that God has planted in all that surrender to Him.

I read a story once about a man who got saved at a revival at his church, and as time passed, he began to understand the importance of witnessing to others the saving grace of Christ Jesus and His gospel. One of the older members told him not to worry about when he should say to someone because God would always give us a sigh. One day, on his way home on a city bus, a very tall cowboy-looking fellow got on the bus and sat down beside him, wearing a large Stetson cowboy hat. As the bus continued, that big cowboy took off that large Stetson hat, laid it in his lap, and began profusely crying. He said: "I'm so lost and in need of Christ Jesus; I know if I don't find someone to help me to God's saving grace, I am going straight to Hell." That little timid fellow looked straight up and asked, "Dear God, is this a sign?"

The signs God gives us will probably not be as apparent as those in our story, but God will always lead us in the direction we can witness for Him and share the gospel with those whom God leads our way. Sometimes, how we conduct our lives can be a more significant message than if we are equipped and familiar with a soul-winning program.

When Andrew met Jesus, he first went and found his brother Simon (Peter as we know him) and brought him to Jesus (John 1:41-42). There is no record in God's Holy Word that Simon ever led anyone else to Jesus or that he ever preached a sermon. However, Peter did, and the first sermon he preached led over three thousand people to the saving grace of Christ Jesus.

There was a Sunday school teacher who had a heart for Jesus and spreading his gospel to the world. His name was Jim Kimble, and he taught a young men's Sunday school class. One of his students worked at a shoe store, and one morning, Jim felt the leading of God to go down to that shoe store and tell this young man about the saving grace of Christ Jesus. He did that very thing, and the young man accepted Jesus on the spot. When his workday was over, that young man knelt in front of that store and told God that he would go wherever he led and do whatever He wanted. That young man's name was Dwight Moody, and the rest is history.