It all started two weeks, ago...no actually...it started months ago...wait, years ago?
Rushville, IL, 2005. I was twelve, a speaker had just visited our church for a weekend seminar, he spoke on the importance of sharing our faith with others, how probation was soon to close, and the signs that showed we are nearing the end. "But I'm not really capable of sharing, and I don't have any one to share with, and I don't know enough to share!", I thought to myself. I remember talking to the speaker and he quoted Proverbs 11:25, "he that watereth shall be watered also himself."
Fast forward...Summer 2013, Maple Plain, MN. I was working as a canvassing leader. Towards the end of the summer I had a lot of time to canvass on my own as the other students knew what they were doing. I was really struggling trusting my future to God. I wanted a plan so bad. As the last two weeks of canvassing rounded up I met ten people interested in studying the Bible. Through the experiences God lead me to go to SALT at Southern Adventist University. (By the way it's excellent training, you should go through it if you want to become better equipped to study the Bible with others!)
East Ridge, TN...My outreach partner and I walked up a hill to some apartments, it was my turn to canvass. A nice lady came to the door and opened the door and invited us in. She had her grandson at home with her, and she shared with us that her and her husband were in the middle of getting custody of him. She said in through the tough experience she had been reading the Bible more and it was giving her just the strength she needed. It was so exciting to have a Bible study contact who I could tell was really interested! We scheduled the study two weeks from that day.
Back to this afternoon....Our prayer time ended and we went up to find her apartment. She came to the door and invited us in! Praise the Lord! We went in and started visiting with her. "I haven't studied the lesson yet," she confided, that's okay, we assured her, we will go over it together. We continued to visit, and then asked for prayer requests. She asked for prayer for strength with what she was going through with her daughter, in getting custody of her grandson. As we started the lesson she told us that she had had more peace since we had come to visit her two weeks ago. What an answer to prayer! "I really appreciate you coming." "I have been sick with pneumonia, she told us, "but today I am felling better"....what providence, I thought!
As we began to get into the Word, she was really interested. As we talked about the image in Daniel 2, she said "That is cool, these metals match up perfect with like the bronze age, etc., in history!" "Are you a history buff?", Jaime asked, "Yes a little bit." She also told us, "I am just getting into the Bible all over again. This reminds me of studying the Bible every Sunday when I was younger, my Dad was a deacon in church. We tend to turn to the Bible when hard things come into our lives." She shared. Through the study her husband confided that he was starting to turn to the Bible as well. "When we got married I decided to not push my religion on my husband", she said. "I'm listening too", her husband insisted, "I just need to help entertain our grandson and keep the dogs quiet for you."
As we continued to study she asked the question, "I wonder how long it will actually be till that kingdom comes, how do we know?" "That's a great question! We will be covering it in our next Bible study!" I ended the study by reading John 14:1-3, and pointing to our hope for a Christ's kingdom that will last forever. "John is a great book to read for devotions," I threw in, "its so focused on Jesus!" "We will have to remember that", she said! We ended and set up a time to come back.
As I was thinking back over our study together, I couldn't help but remember two weeks ago hurriedly filling out the same Bible study guide for class, it was really easy, "I already know all this, it is so simple!" I remember thinking. I honestly didn't get anything out of it. But this time sharing it with someone else, the Word was coming ALIVE, we were all INTO the Word!
It was the most amazing experience ever! I left with a joy that I haven't felt since my baptism. The words came into my mind "he that watereth shall be watered also himself." Proverbs 25:11
God's word is truly powerful!
"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it"
Isaiah 55:11
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