by Raymond Timmerman
God is in the saving business. He is not limited by methods or by the most peculiar personality. He awaits only the faithful servant who has a heart for lost souls.
I am reminded of a teenager from Mauldin, South Carolina, who was attending my youth program. His name was Roger. Roger made a very interesting boast.
Although he was starting to attend church regularly, he claimed that he did not believe in God. Personally, I think he did this for the attention. After all, bad attention is better than no attention, right? Yet God used these circumstances to glorify Himself.
The first time I actually had a conversation with Roger I said, “Hey, I hear you’re an atheist.” I think he was a little taken back. He probably thought he had a clever little game going on with his friends until his youth minister got involved. “Roger, I’ve got a proposition for you. I’ve been waiting for someone like you to come along and help me do something,” I said. “I want you to come on all of our youth outings. Don’t worry about paying. I’ll foot the bill.”
“So what’s the catch?” Roger said.
I said, “In return all I want is for you to come to church at least 2 times a week and read your New Testament 4 or more times a week.”
Roger thought for a moment, then said, “OK, but why?”
I responded, “I get sick and tired of people telling me that they are Christians and how they love the Lord and yet they may only show up to church once a week. They have been Christians for years and yet they never read their Bibles. It would be a great wake-up call for them if I told them how you are an atheist and you still come to church twice a week and that you’re on your way to finishing the New Testament.”
Call it preordained, or that I was speaking Roger’s language or whatever, but it caught his fascination and he did as I asked.
It probably does not come as a shock to many of you as to what happened. A couple of months later, after spending time in God’s house and in His Word, Roger walked down the aisle in tears one Sunday morning and gave his life to Jesus.
The pastor told me later that Roger had said, “Thanks to Mr. Raymond I’m saved.” Truth be told, however, this is but a simple and yet vivid example of the power of God’s Holy Word.
Salvation is a God thing. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). Our part is small in this matter, yet it is not an insignificant part. God, for whatever reason, has chosen us to be His vehicles of mercy to reach out to a lost world. What a glorious privilege and responsibility!
Let us make it a point today to ask God to give us an opportunity to share the gospel. Be sure to ask God to not let us miss the opportunity when it arrives. Then stand ready to be amazed at how God will take the ordinary likes of ourselves and turn us into Ambassadors for God’s Kingdom.
"This & That" 
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