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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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92-year-old
Pauline Jacobi had just finished putting her groceries
inside her car at a
Dyersburg (TN) Wal-Mart when a man jumped into her car
through the passenger’s side door.
He told Jacobi that he had a gun and that he
would shoot her if she didn’t give him all of her
money... “I’m not going to give you my money,” Jacobi said. In fact, she told him “no” three times. Then she continued talking to him. "As quick as you kill me I'll go to heaven and you'll go to hell," Jacobi said she told the man. "'Jesus is in this car and he goes with me everywhere I go." How did the robber respond? "He just looked around and the tears just began coming down his eyes." Jacobi
told him that God could and would forgive him.
She continued to try to reason with him and
teach him for another 10 minutes inside her car. As
tears were rolling down the man's face, Jacobi
voluntarily gave him all of the money that she had
with her, every bit of $10. "When I told him I
was going to give him the money, I said, The man who initially intended to take all of her money by force – even if he had to shoot her -- thanked her for the money, reached over and kissed her on the cheek, got out of the car, and walked away. * The
words of Pauline Jacobi stopped
a robber in his tracks and brought tears to his eyes.
Her words probably saved her life, and may lead
to the salvation of her would-be attacker. You
and I can identify with the would-be robber more than
we’d care to, for we have all actually committed the
“crime” of SIN (Romans 3:23).
Yet, despite our mistakes, there are some words
– some powerful words – that God, our Creator and
the One we have offended with our sins, wants us to
hear and take to heart. Our
forgiveness has been made possible through the atoning
death of Jesus, God’s Son, on the cross, where He
paid the price for our sins (1 John 2:2).
Through Christ, God WILL forgive those who believe
in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confess
Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins
(Acts 2:38). He
will continue to forgive those who continue to walk in
the light of His word (1 John 1:7). The
“GOOD NEWS” (the Gospel) of Jesus Christ is
God’s power to salvation to everyone who responds
with an obedient faith (Romans 1:5, 16).
These are powerful, life-changing
words indeed – words of forgiveness! YOU can know this awesome forgiveness if you will only submit to the Savior. Won’t you? -- David A. Sargent, Minister Church
of Christ at Creekwood * Information gleaned from: ”Dyersburg grandmother witnesses to man trying to rob her,” Reported by Nick Paranjape of Action 5 News, WMCTV, Memphis, TN -- http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?s=7456846 To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org
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