By David ReayMonday 19 Sep 2022LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. (NRSV)
People come to follow Jesus in all sorts of ways. There is no standard path to conversion. Some have read a Bible placed in a motel room. Some have read some other book, or may have had an extraordinary dream or vision.
However, in many cases some human involvement has occurred. Someone, some time, somewhere, said a word or did a deed which prompted some rethinking. God so often uses human instruments to bring people to himself. It was true in Timothy’s case. A grandmother and mother had a faith which was apparently contagious.
We don’t all have Christian parents or grandparents, but our God is well able to cause us to brush against those who know him personally. People come across our path, often uninvited, and convey something of the goodness and grace of God to us. It may take years for that shared faith to take root, but God is so often not in any great hurry.
Of course, people like Lois and Eunice in our text today may not always know the impact of their words and actions. Many of us are links in a chain. We play a part that we don’t always realise we are playing. We sow seeds that we might never see grow. We might wonder if we have had any impact at all.
We are not called to measure outcomes, but to be faithful to the character of Jesus and let the chips fall where they may.
Blessings,
David