Stories of Redemption

As I look back over my years of serving the Lord, I feel a great sense of joy in remembering the many people whose lives have been transformed by the power of God. In fact, there have been times when I’ve felt absolutely overwhelmed by the impact of watching a person change, for no one can alter the human heart like the Lord. As the apostle Paul said, “those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17, NLT). It is, therefore, encouraging to look back and remember the names and faces of those “trophies of grace” – those masterpieces of God’s workmanship that have received His touch.

Suzie was a young lady who Margaret and I first met when we moved to Belleville back in 1991. She had been raised as a Hindu, but had never experienced the power of God in her life. As you may know, Hinduism is a religion that is filled with a multitude of gods, and therefore, Suzie had never met the real King of the universe. I will never forget the day she came to Christ and allowed the Holy Spirit to begin changing her into the person He wanted her to be. It was truly wonderful! Then there was Mike. I remember meeting him on a rainy day at a Coffee Time on Dundas Street in Belleville. Mike had been an alcoholic and had wandered into one of our Sunday meetings. It was while we sat sipping our coffee that he confessed, “Bill, I’m so lost!” And yet, Mike was not lost to God, for Jesus said, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Lk. 19:10, NIV).

Elaine was a lady who had lived on the streets of Toronto as a cocaine and heroin addict. At approximately 40 years of age it seemed as if she had lived several lives, but at the end of it all she too knew that she was lost and needed to be saved. I well remember the struggle that Elaine had to overcome her addiction to drugs. Sometimes she seemed to be doing so well, and then at other times she struggled. And yet, I never met a lady who was so in love with children! Out of everyone we had in the church throughout the 1990s, Elaine was the one person who would always put up her hand to volunteer in the Nursery. She just loved to be around babies and enjoyed serving the Lord by serving His people. Unfortunately, Elaine went to be with the Lord in 1999 after one of her struggles with drugs ended in tragedy. I will never forget conducting her funeral and remembering how good the work of God had been in her life. In fact, when her family arrived they were surprised to see Christians gathering to celebrate Elaine’s life instead of a Funeral Parlor full of bikers and drug dealers. What a story of redemption! A story that touched many, many people!

How we need to hear more stories of redemption! In fact, just think of your own story and how God has transformed your life. He took you and me from being lost and without hope, and made us alive in Christ! Could there be anything better? Of course not! All of this points to the fact that God is in the business of changing lives – and this is what it’s all about. Not just meetings, programs, buildings, events, problems in the church, and on and on – but our life of faith is really about seeing people saved and changed. For this, we should, and must, give our lives.