While reading a post on my friend Samantha Koivisto’s blog, BecomingEllipsisMark, my heart jumped. Sam wrote about going to church early and discovering vandalism. As she tried to scrub away the graffiti, she prayed for the vandal. Her sweet spirit showed the love of Christ as she prayed for the vandal’s repentance.
As life goes, events trigger memories. I instantly recalled vandalizing the inside of a church when I was a young teen. God has since forgiven me for it, as I’ve asked. However, I began to wonder if anyone prayed for me when they discovered my destruction. Could it be that the prayers of the servant who cleaned up my mess helped bring me to Christ? Perhaps those prayers loosened the bondage Satan had on me.
Reading about Samantha’s loving prayers for someone she not only didn’t know, but someone she rightfully could have been angry with, made me appreciate anyone who prayed for me throughout my rebellion. I can only say, “Bless them, Lord. Bless the godly saints who no doubt sighed heavily, perhaps rolled their eyes, and hoped and prayed for my repentance and renewal.”
Those secret acts of obedience and love move people forward in their journey toward the cross of Christ. That is an act of loving at full strength!
February: Love @ full strength in Christ
Anchoring Deep in God’s Word Schedule today, 02/24/14: Leviticus 20-21 and Psalm 49-50.
Join hosts Page and Cindy on Facebook where we are discussing today’s reading. Everyone is invited to join by clicking the ‘Join Group’ button. We have 800+ women reading the Bible through in 2014! Join us and invite your friends too! We are using the Ownit35 whole Bible plan. Download the free app or print out the reading schedule to use with your Bible.
About Kelly Stigliano
Kelly J. Stigliano has been writing and speaking for over 3 decades. She and Jerry have celebrated more than 30 wedding anniversaries together—all proof of God’s redemptive power! Kelly made bad choices for years and shares the lessons she’s learned along the way, hoping to keep others from making the same mistakes. Because no one benefits when we wear masks, she tries to stay transparent. “Everyone has skeletons in their closets, but my closets don’t have doors on them!”
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