7/28/15
God is performing miracles every day whether they be instant or the end of a process. He works marvel of unexpected joy. Many times a person who is being called by God will ask herself what she has that she can give to God and feels unworthy and ignorant of the skills that are needed to serve God as He is calling. Maybe she is right that she is lacking whatever knowledge or understandings to accept His calling. Do you ever feel this way when you think that you could have a call on your life? It is said that God does not always called on who is prepared; He prepares the one He calls.
There is a young man that I have known for several years who lives in Maine. His life has not been easy. He was adopted at an early age due to circumstances of which I am not aware. He suffered from Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that is often fatal. It causes many infections of the lungs and sinuses as well as other symptoms. Often someone has to bang on the affected person's back to help him to expel mucus caused by the infections. Someone who has Cystic Fibrosis does not live much past the mid twenties. As this young man grew into his teens, he got involved with substance abuse and used drugs extensively.
I would like to introduce you to Jon Cuthbertson and tell you about the miracle God worked in his life. He was sick and his life was spinning out of control. He ended up in Teen Challenge and was there for at least two years. He took the program seriously, and he let God help him turn his life around. When he finished the program, he attended Faith School of Theology in Charleston, Maine. This is where God put the finishing touches on the miracles He had been working all along for Jon. God had a plan for Jon, and Jon began to realize what his path was to be.
I digress here to ask you what your call could be. Think outside the box...perhaps something that seems outlandish to you. Is He calling you to be a missionary in a foreign land or even in places in the U.S.? Maybe God is calling you to raise your grandchildren when you thought that your child rearing was finished. Or...would He ask you to open your home to foster children...perhaps having several at a time, keeping a child from infancy to adult age, or taking a child with special needs who requires more attention than any other. (I have a friend, Tina, who lives in Ohio. She has raised many foster children who now come back to her as their mother. One of her charges is a young man named Josiah, who is past the foster care age and is severely autistic. Tina has to do things for him that one would do for an infant. Still her love for him is another miracle that makes her willing to sacrifice in order to take care of him now that he is an adult.)
How would you answer this or perhaps another call from God if you felt inadequate to the task...a call that was inconvenient and way outside of your comfort zone? Would you have the faith and courage to understand that God will equip you with a miracle that would enable you to do what you may think is impossible? Here is what happened to Jon. The preparation and raising him up was a miracle that was not instant. It took years.
God was calling him to ministry, and Jon accepted. He is now the pastor of Thomaston Assembly of God Church in Maine. Another miracle is that, now in his thirties, his health is immensely better, in spite of the fact that most who suffer from this are not expected to live long, and his parents were told he would probably not live past eighteen. He is also married. I have had the privilege of going to this church for two Sundays while I am visiting Maine. He is no ordinary pastor; Jon is extraordinary. The two messages I heard were filled with excellent points with illustrative Scripture references. For two weeks, I kept hearing in my heart that his life is a miracle.
We may not be called to something like the illustrations I gave. However, we need to keep in mind that God has a plan for us. It may be small, but accepting it makes us a part of the body of Christ. Expect a miracle, and be ready to live "a life that is a miracle of God."
For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord.
Miracle Graphic....^^ ©Crosswalk.com ^^
There is a young man that I have known for several years who lives in Maine. His life has not been easy. He was adopted at an early age due to circumstances of which I am not aware. He suffered from Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that is often fatal. It causes many infections of the lungs and sinuses as well as other symptoms. Often someone has to bang on the affected person's back to help him to expel mucus caused by the infections. Someone who has Cystic Fibrosis does not live much past the mid twenties. As this young man grew into his teens, he got involved with substance abuse and used drugs extensively.
I would like to introduce you to Jon Cuthbertson and tell you about the miracle God worked in his life. He was sick and his life was spinning out of control. He ended up in Teen Challenge and was there for at least two years. He took the program seriously, and he let God help him turn his life around. When he finished the program, he attended Faith School of Theology in Charleston, Maine. This is where God put the finishing touches on the miracles He had been working all along for Jon. God had a plan for Jon, and Jon began to realize what his path was to be.
I digress here to ask you what your call could be. Think outside the box...perhaps something that seems outlandish to you. Is He calling you to be a missionary in a foreign land or even in places in the U.S.? Maybe God is calling you to raise your grandchildren when you thought that your child rearing was finished. Or...would He ask you to open your home to foster children...perhaps having several at a time, keeping a child from infancy to adult age, or taking a child with special needs who requires more attention than any other. (I have a friend, Tina, who lives in Ohio. She has raised many foster children who now come back to her as their mother. One of her charges is a young man named Josiah, who is past the foster care age and is severely autistic. Tina has to do things for him that one would do for an infant. Still her love for him is another miracle that makes her willing to sacrifice in order to take care of him now that he is an adult.)
How would you answer this or perhaps another call from God if you felt inadequate to the task...a call that was inconvenient and way outside of your comfort zone? Would you have the faith and courage to understand that God will equip you with a miracle that would enable you to do what you may think is impossible? Here is what happened to Jon. The preparation and raising him up was a miracle that was not instant. It took years.
God was calling him to ministry, and Jon accepted. He is now the pastor of Thomaston Assembly of God Church in Maine. Another miracle is that, now in his thirties, his health is immensely better, in spite of the fact that most who suffer from this are not expected to live long, and his parents were told he would probably not live past eighteen. He is also married. I have had the privilege of going to this church for two Sundays while I am visiting Maine. He is no ordinary pastor; Jon is extraordinary. The two messages I heard were filled with excellent points with illustrative Scripture references. For two weeks, I kept hearing in my heart that his life is a miracle.
We may not be called to something like the illustrations I gave. However, we need to keep in mind that God has a plan for us. It may be small, but accepting it makes us a part of the body of Christ. Expect a miracle, and be ready to live "a life that is a miracle of God."For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord.
They are plans for good
and not for evil,
to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (TLB)
Written by
Written by
Corinne Mustafa
Miracle Graphic....^^ ©Crosswalk.com ^^
ReplyDeleteHow would you answer this or perhaps another call from God if you felt inadequate to the task...a call that was inconvenient and way outside of your comfort zone? Would you have the faith and courage to understand that God will equip you with a miracle that would enable you to do what you may think is impossible? Are you ready to be sent to the ends of the earth for and by God?
I feel that somehow I have not had the words to adequately paint a picture for you of how amazing this story of a miracle for Jon is. He brought him up and Jon accepted His leading. There were several strikes (so to speak) against him but Jon has risen above them. He is an amazing young man!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wonderful message of hope. For those whose lives seem so deeply embedded in defeat that no one expects them to survive, let alone thrive and grow into a true message of God's miracles. Jon could have failed in so many ways, but thankfully, the Lord's plans for him were greater than everything else!
ReplyDeleteI pray that Jon, and those who are just one prayer away from accepting Jesus as their King will be the light that shines that much brighter because of the darkness that they have known!
Thank you Lynda for your reply. Your words say it all in a nutshell. It is so encouraging when someone replies to one of our devotionals. I will share this with Jon, and I am sure he will be blessed as well!
ReplyDeleteGod bless...