The believer today has that same command and that same promise which was given 2000 years ago. And along with our obedience comes a blessing.
Recently our family took a vacation to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. We stopped into an IHOP restaurant after attending services at the Freedom Baptist Church (Pastor Ed Parton). Our waitress was a young lady in her early twenties from Russia named Anastasia. She took very good care of us and we left a fair tip for her inside a Gospel tract written in Russian.
We got up from the table and went to the cash register to pay the bill. We lingered a bit so my wife could look at the "stuff" for sale in their gift area. I looked up a to see Anastasia coming toward me with the tract in her hand.
"You have these in Russian?" she asked.
"Yes," I responded. "You do speak Russian."
"Oh, yes. I have been given many in English, but this is the first one in Russian. Thank you. Thank you very much."
"You read that," I told her, "it will help you understand God's love for your soul and how Christ died for your sins. God wants to save you."
"Yes, I will read every word," she promised.
I wanted to shout and cry at the same time. God had broken a language barrier, a young lady had traveled to America to work for the summer season. She got more than money. She got a message of hope.
I pray I will see Anastasia in heaven someday. But for now I am blessed with the memory of the glow on her face and the joy in her voice. God is so good.
