I've told some of you the story. But it's still turning in my head over and over again! I was at Costco looking to buy a mattress topper for my bed at home so my pregnant wife could be more comfortable. There among the mattresses I met Jesse. He too was looking. As we were talking my moment came...God spoke to me. Jesse told me that he was sleeping on an air mattress. I hate air mattresses because they almost always deflate during the middle of the night. So God urged me to offer Jesse my bed and then he would only have to get a topper. It was more expense for me to get a full bed, but what if Jesse comes to know God's love through it. Is that worth $200? Easy! Jesse then told me that his girlfriend could never sleep on someone else's bed. I commended him on his awareness of what his girlfriend likes and dislikes. I asked if they had ever thought about marriage. He said it freaked him out.
Then my second moment came...God spoke again! The Lord said, "BE HONEST!" So I told Jesse marriage freaked me out too and that without Jesus in my life there is no way I'd have the strength and love to give my wife that she deserves. There's no way I'd be the leader I need to be. He chuckled. I braced for the look of disgust I was expecting from someone who wasn't "into God." But to my surprise, Jesse said, "Wow, that's amazing! You're the 4th or 5th person who's mentioned God to me this week. I'm beginning to think that maybe God might be trying to get my attention."
My third moment of opportunity came...God told me to invite him to church. I agreed with Jesse and said maybe he should come to church with me and give God a chance to speak to him there. I encouraged him to make an effort to explore who God is with people who are really into Him.
A couple of weeks later Jesse finally came to church with me...on Easter! God spoke through the message of Easter...the day Christ-followers celebrate when Christ rose from the dead after being innocently crucified as a substitute for us who deserve to be punished for all the evil, death and hurt we've brought to this world and to God. Jesse that day came to realize God was after him and that's why Jesus came...to make a way for all of us to be made right with God and re-start the relationship we were created to have with our Creator. Jesse cried out to God and put his trust in Jesus to make him right with God and to change his evil heart into one that wants to please God and worship Him.
The effects were immediate. Jesse took me aside after church with an urgency in step. You won't believe what he told me! "Brad, I can't go on any longer without telling you...I lied to you at Costco the day we met! I don't have a girlfriend and I'm not even scared of marriage. I was just trying to cover up my Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder. I'm OCD and I still have a hard time admitting it to people." We started laughing together about the whole thing. God had used Jesse's lying to open the door for me to share the Good News with him.
Jesse and I are now good friends. We've spent time learning about the wonders of a God who pursues us even when we reject Him and fail to trust Him. I introduced Jesse to some friends who are doing a study in God's Word together and striving to help each other become more like Jesus. A few weeks ago Jesse asked me to baptize him. His mom and dad came. The pastor changed his message after hearing Jesse's story and gave the Good News message and an invitation to anyone there who wanted to have Christ change their lives as He did Jesse's. At least 9 people responded that morning!
So, the lesion I learned from all this...every moment matters! God wants me to be available whether I'm at Costco or at home or at church. He can use anything and everything...even someone's lies to reveal Himself. I'm asking Him to help me dedicate every moment to Him each day...cause He will use them if I offer them up to Him and I wouldn't want to miss out on what He is always doing...seeking & saving that which is lost....us! Luke 19:10 That starts with me spending time to listen to Him through His word each day. That continues with me meditating throughout the day on Scripture that I've memorized or clipped out and put in my pocket to look at. It continues with my daily prayer list and expectation that God is always working around me.
So, my prayer for you is...ask God to make you more aware that He is with you wherever you go and more willing to listen and even ask for His promptings. Then watch what amazing things He will do...in the mundane and ordinary!
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