“And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”
(John 15:27 NIV)
What do we do when depression ravages our minds? How do we react when anxiety
springs up on us unawares? Where do we go to when all of our energy seems to
have evaporated into thin air? Where do we turn when adversity becomes our
constant companion?
In the 14th century, construction began on the western tower of the St. Waburga
Church in Veurne, Belgium. It was going to be a glorious tower, and many were
looking forward to seeing its completion. But it never came to be. Due to
limited funds, the work was halted and the tower was never completed.
These people could commiserate with those of us whose strength has left us.
Although unfinished however, the tower was far from being useless! Its caves,
deep in the ground, were ideal for storing ammunition and protecting Veurne
residents from the bombings of World War II, and even today it has found its
usefulness. A modern art museum is now hosted there. Even though incomplete, the
tower still has its place in society!
I have discovered that age has nothing to do with usefulness. I have met elderly
people who are still so full of vigor that they continue to be shining examples
of how God had transformed their lives. Not only do they do the unthinkable,
like that 90 year-old woman who jumped from a plane (with a parachute
naturally!) for the first time in her life, but they
also testify about Jesus through their actions, by helping the dejected, by
encouraging the hopeless and by visiting the abandoned.
An older lady discovered she had cancer. It didn’t stop her from becoming a
missionary in China. “If I have to die, it doesn’t matter where it will occur. I
want to die in a place where I can be useful and where I can testify.”
I have also met young people, however, who acted like they were elderly. They
have no ambition, no motivation. Maybe it’s because they hadn’t discovered what
the apostle Paul had found out:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or
persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For
your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him
who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:35-39 NIV)
Doesn’t this truth fill us with adrenaline? Doesn’t this encourage us to carry
this banner of love throughout our neighbourhoods? How many around us are
hungering for hope? Why can’t we be the ones to satisfy that hunger?
Yes, we may face ridicule, even rejection, but still such consequences are
meager compared to the witness of Christians in oppressed countries. Their
testimony can cost them their very lives, yet they still go one, undeterred.
With God’s love spurring them to action, they bring hope to the hopeless,
encouragement to the depressed, and friendship to those who are friendless.
All of those who don’t hesitate to testify have discovered a simple truth: “For
when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:10 NIV)
No matter how incomplete you own “tower” stands, you can make a difference! You
don’t have to feel dejected and useless! It’s time to stand up, for you truly
are “more than conquerors through him who loved” you.
Are you willing to make a difference in this world?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.