of The Closest Kind © Part 2
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Continued from part 1:
In Ethan's case there could be any number of reasons for his silence. Maybe the root of his sickness was the drywall in his house that came from China with all the toxins that were allowed in the product. The contractor building the house took the cheap way out and used this kind of drywall. The illness could be caused by a combination of allergies such as reactions to soaps or additives in our foods. All of these problems may not be the problem with Ethan, but something like this is likely to be contributory to his illness.
As we talked about these things of God’s will, she wanted to know if the book was available and where to buy it if possible. I told her that the book had been in continuous printing since 1943. Just go online to Amazon and you will find it.
As we talked, I could see the change coming over her. In her taking this model of God's Will into her thinking processes she could better understand and with that the flow of tears stopped and she begin to smile.
As Christians we are ministers, we must call upon the Holy Sprit to help us help other people when we see and feel the need. We must be bold like Peter in meeting the needs of others but have the calm of Mother Theresa. In the words I spoke with her I know it was not my words, but it was the Holy Spirit using me as as His instrument to minister to this lady. I claim no credit for helping her. I was prepared to help her because I pray continuously for God to make me an instrument of His will.
In the time after the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples totally forgot their training. When Jesus came to them in the upper room, the first thing He did was to anoint them with the Holy Spirit, John 20:21-22. In one moment, they were as frightened "little boys" and in the next they totally understood His mission and ready to follow what Jesus had taught.
Within weeks, they were out preaching the Faith on the Temple grounds and getting into trouble with the Jews of Jerusalem. Not long after the coming of the Spirit, Peter was before the Temple rulers, the Sanhedrin. In Acts 4:8 we find powerful words: "And Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit..." tells the Sanhedrin, the very people who were responsible for Christ's death, in so may words, "You just do not get it, you idiots put the Son of God to death, you will pay for this sin ......" There is only one event that could cause the disciples change of attitude and the strength of Peter’s certainty; the resurrection of Jesus and His anoiting of the Holy Spirit on the desciples.
Because of God’s Grace, we have the Holy Spirit available to us so we can better minister to people we find around us. Just like the lady I met, when the Truth is spoken in the proper manner, it rings true. This is why we believe in a risen Jesus; "Because he lives, we can face tomorrow" and because He lives, we have the Holy Sprit to guide us and be with us. We must pray, pray and pray..... everyday for the continued presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In our American society, if something does not work, we throw it away. Our God is not a throw away god. God Works, His promises are being fulfilled, and the promises of Jesus and the Holy Spirit have never been disproven and continue to this day.
As this lady at the hospital and I ended our conversation, she was dry eyed and smiling. She told me as she started to shake my hand, hesitated, and then embraced me a "total stranger" saying, "You have made me smile and stop crying, and you have been a blessing to my life." It was then I knew, but failed to tell her, "No, you have been a greater blessing to me." Releasing the focus on myself and ministering to this lady became a great blessing in my own mother’s tragedy. I regret this omission. My hope is to one day be able to tell her of her blessing to me. As I have shared this moment with others, my blessing, that “good” continues.
This moment in my life was truly a blessing to me. I am sorry to say that I had never done this before. It was only recently that I truly understood the "filling" of the Holy Sprit and how to keep it coming. Now, I can look back over my life and see the Holy Spirit at work through me. In fact, all the great achievements of my life were preceded by prayer. As my pastor spoke in January, 2009, "To have the Holy Spirit in our lives we must pray, pray, and pray some more.... everyday." Reviewing my life, I recognized the facts the Truth in her sermon. God has been nudging me for a long time, nearly forty (40) years. Somehow, I have come to feel maybe it was His will for this to happen exactly the way it has. I have learned much over my life to share with others.
Through the Holy Spirit and my prayers to be filled by the Holy Spirit as I have the need, the Holy Spirit through me was able to minister to this lady and help her through this storm in her life. Maybe this lady was not talking to a "total stranger", maybe she subconsciously felt the presence of the Holy Spirit through the words spoken by me but inspired by the Holy Spirit. This event clearly demonstrated to me the importance of lay ministry. Ministry is too important to be left to the professionals.
Pray, pray, and pray, “without ceasing” for the Holy Spirit to be in your life so that you too can be nudged and have that "Extraordinary Encounter of The Closest Kind".
Thanks Be to God
© lonnie coggins
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