B.C. and A.D.

June 27

(Psalm 73:21-28 NIV) “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, {22} I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. {23} Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. {24} You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. {25} Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. {26} My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. {27} Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. {28} But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

(1 Timothy 1:12-17 NIV) “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. {13} Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. {14} The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. {15} Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. {16} But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. {17} Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

All of us who came to Christ later in life have a B.C. story and an A.D. story. Many of us would describe our lives before Christ as “senseless, ignorant, and animalistic”. But then God took us by the hand and gave us a new heart. We began to receive His counsel and follow Him. We stopped chasing the things of this world and made Jesus the number one desire of our life. We were changed from the inside out… and we’re still being changed. We have come to trust Christ in both life and death. We have faith that when our flesh gives out and our heart fails, He will take us into glory. Nothing matters as much as that. So in this year of our Lord, we tell our story to whoever will listen. We believe that a judgment awaits all mankind. We believe we will either live forever in heaven, or be destroyed in hell. Tell your story to whoever will listen -- and even to those who won’t. Share it today! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day