Who knows what kind of difference just one Bible can make?
Last Sunday, a representative from Gideons International came and spoke at our church. I always enjoy hearing them speak because they always have inspirational stories to share. This time was no exception.
He started off by giving some amazing statistics about the work of the Gideons. Last spring they reached the two billion mark on Bibles they have distributed. He also shared that a few weeks earlier, they handed out nine thousand Bibles on the University of Georgia campus, also an impressive number. He told us that the Bibles they distribute have been translated into ninety languages.
All of those numbers are a really good indicator of the work they do, but our speaker said that he wasn’t there to talk about the numbers. He wanted to talk about just one person that a Gideon placed Bible had helped.
Part of the Gideon ministry is to place Bibles in motel rooms across America. There was a man who checked into a motel with a gun and the intention to kill himself.
When he walked into the room, there was a Bible lying open, on top of the television. It made the man angry, just seeing it, so he took his hand and knocked it onto the floor. It landed opened. Angrier still, he kicked it underneath the bed. Motel beds are built on platforms, so it bounced out, still opened.
In exasperation, he picked it up off of the floor and read the scripture that it was turned to. He expected it to be something about condemnation. He was angry with God and fully expected God to be angry with him.
What he found was John 14:27, which reads: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
At his lowest point, God didn’t condemn him. He reached out in mercy and extended grace through Jesus.
The man spent three days in that motel room and left there changed. He went home to his wife, who had locked him out of the house. She had been raising their children alone, while he was out chasing his own selfish pursuits. She was reluctant, but eventually agreed to go to church with him.
He is now a pastor in North Carolina. Our speaker asked us, “How many lives has that man’s ministry touched?” “How many lives has that one Bible made a difference in?”
It’s not about the numbers; it’s about real people being changed by the Gospel. Every lost soul matters to God.
God is always at work reaching back for us, when we reach for Him and sometimes when we don’t reach for Him. Every effort we make to serve Him has the possibility to make a tremendous impact on someone else.
Our speaker shared just one example of one Bible making a difference. What can I do today to make a difference? What can you do?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂