Tag Archives: family

The Power of Personal Testimonies

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What is your story? Each one has a story to tell. We all have life stories to share. I remember as a young boy, visiting my grandparents on my mother’s side of the family, I would sit and listen to Grandpa Gardner tell stories. I’m really not sure which ones were true and which ones were fabrications, but they were all entertaining and interesting. Somehow the storytelling would always end up with a tale about H. Peter Deese. I’m really not sure if he was a real person, or an invention of Grandpa’s creative imagination. But if he was a real person, and he did everything Grandpa said he did, then he was an interesting man who lived an adventurous life.

The Apostle Paul had a story to tell. You can read his story three times in the book of Acts (see his testimony in Acts 9, 22, 26). His story revolved around his confrontation with the living Lord Jesus Christ as he traveled along the road to Damascus. This is Paul’s personal story. It was a reliving of his personal experience. It happened to him, and he was always ready to share his story with others.

You and I are just like Paul: We have a story to tell. Truth be told, we have many different stories to tell. But there is one story of special importance that we have to share, and it truly needs to be told. That is our own personal testimony of our own confrontation with the Lord Jesus.

My story begins on September 13, 1977. Actually, it begins long before that, but that particular Tuesday evening is the night my life changed forever. However, to bring us to that evening, allow me to back up five days to Thursday, September 8. That day started off just like any other day. I had gotten up, prepared myself for another day of work at Seco Electronics, got in my car and headed out on my ten-mile drive. Shortly after leaving my driveway, I heard a voice – clearly, distinctly, and unmistakenly. Now, just so you know, had you been with me you would not have heard it (or at least I don’t think you would have) but I could not NOT hear it. The voice simply said, “Steve, it’s time for you to give Me your life.” I didn’t have to ask, as Paul did, “Who are you, Lord?” No, I knew full well who it was.

The rest of that day I could not get my mind off that voice, and that message. That evening I went home and told Teresa that I wanted to go to church Sunday morning. She laughed, thinking I was joking. We had, after all, just hosted a wild party of drinking and drugs at our house the night before!

I’ll spare you the details of the next two days, except to say that I continued to ask Teresa to attend church with me, and she continued to refuse to go. So, Sunday morning came, and I went – alone. The pastor of the church had visited us on several occasions at the request of my parents. I entered the worship center and sat at the very back. After the service, I asked him if he could spare a few minutes to speak with me. After several minutes we made arrangements for him to visit with us on Tuesday evening. It was then, September 13, 1977, at 10:45 PM, that Teresa and I both were gloriously saved and forever changed by God’s amazing grace.

Our life journey has now taken us through many different experiences, each of which resulted in life lessons which were intended by God to grow us toward spiritual maturity. We’ve come a long way, and still have a good way to go. But He has been with us every step of the way.

That’s my story. Many other details could easily be added, but hopefully you get the gist a life that was changed. No, not by my own strength, but His. You have your own story to tell. Are you quick to share it when the opportunity avails itself to you? We should all be ready to tell others the tale of our lives.

Family – God’s Design

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Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Ephesians 5:22, 25; 6:1

These verses describe in beautiful detail God’s intent for the family (take time to read the entire passage, Ephesians 5:22-6:4, to see how majestic His design for the family truly is.) In our present day these verses have been maligned and abused, misinterpreted and viciously attacked by those who misunderstand God’s original intent for the family structure.

The family is God’s very first institution among the human family. As a matter of fact, all other human institutions are built on the foundation of the family structure as designed by God. When the family is strong, as designed by God, all other institutions will be strong. However, when the family structure begins to erode and crumble, all other institutions follow along.

In the verses quoted above, the apostle Paul speaks about the different members of the family: wife, husband, and children. The proper understanding and implementation of the guidelines given in this passage are imperative for the family to operate successfully. And, in the opinion of this writer, if they are understood and obeyed, the family will be strong and successful.

Let’s briefly visit each of the three family members mentioned in this passage. Paul first addresses the wife by saying that she should be submissive to her husband. He then gives an explanatory word by stating that “the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church.” The wife is called upon to submit to her husband’s authority because this is God’s design. This design was thwarted somewhat in the Garden of Eden when Eve was deceived by the serpent, which ultimately led to her setting her sights on being head of Adam. The perfect design of God was damaged by the sinful disobedience, first of Eve, and followed by Adam.

Paul is thus calling us back to God’s original design: husband is head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. Therefore, wives are called upon to submit to the headship of their husbands. However, there is a precursor to this command to the wife. Let’s look back at the verses leading up to this command:

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Ephesians 5:17-21, NKJV (emphasis added)

Before Paul admonishes the wife to be submissive to her husband, he instructs us to be submitted to one another. It should be a spirit of mutual submissiveness. Then, in that state of mutual respect Paul instructs the wife to submit to the headship of the husband because this is God’s design.

But wait! Before we allow ourselves to get bent out of shape because of this heavy burden placed upon the wife, let’s look at the command given to the husband: “Love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her.” I have said this in every marriage retreat Teresa and I have led through the past quarter of a century: husbands, if you love your wife like that you will never have a disrespectful wife. Wives relish that kind of love and will respond to it with willing submission.

The husband/wife relationship should be one with mutual respect for one another in the love of Christ. The only way that is possible is for both to be in a state of submission to the Lord over them as individuals as well as a couple.

Finally, Paul instructs the children to obey their parents. The fall in the garden affected all of humanity. In my opinion this is seen graphically in the modern state of the family. Children are disrespectful to parents, which leads them to be disrespectful to everyone else. They don’t respect teachers, or law enforcement, or employers, or, well, anyone. This is mainly because they are not taught to be respectful in the home, by their parents. Rather, in many cases, they are taught just the opposite.

But Paul says that it is right for children to obey their parents. This is God’s design. And parents should go to extreme measures to teach their children the importance of being respectful of others.

Sadly, in our modern world, we are seeing the majesty of God’s design for the family turned on its head. Often, we see marriages in which there is no mutual submission, there is no making melody in our hearts, because their is no song in the relationship. Husbands and wives go their own ways, moving further and further apart because of the demands of life. Children are oftentimes left to fend for themselves because the parents are too busy to invest time and energy in them. The family structure is deteriorating due to the lack of respect for God’s design and instruction.

And now, to show how the attacks of Satan are still aimed largely at the family structure, he has called into question everything the Bible teaches about God’s design for the family. Men and women living together outside of marriage; premarital sex; men living with men; women living with women. God’s intent and purpose for the family is being eroded more and more by the moment. Why? Because as a society we have given ourselves over to the desires of the flesh rather than to the teachings of Scripture.

For those of us who are striving to live by the teachings of God’s word, let’s be quick to share His amazing love, grace and forgiveness to those who are living outside the parameters of His instruction. Let’s remember where God has brought us from, so that we might be able to be God’s vehicle of grace to others. As we have received, let us be quick to give.

Until next time:

Blessings!