Cornerstone

Matthew 9:32-38

“You did what?” I exclaimed. “I took my hammer and beat the windshield out of my car.” “Why did you do that!” I asked. “I can’t seem to help it, Bro. Woods. Something just seems to come over me when I get mad.”

Cleo could not afford any more misfortune. He drank. He smoked. He couldn’t hold down a job because he couldn’t seem to control his temper. He had led his family one step at a time deeper into the bondage of poverty. At one time he had to sell the chain saw he used to cut wood for their wood stove to pay the electric bill. His house was little more than a shack. Their rent at one time was $25 per month. Sometimes they didn’t have enough money to make this small payment.

I guess that was what brought such a thrill to me when I saw their tears puddle on the altar. This is what caused me to be so excited when I listened to them testifying to the grace of God who had delivered them from that life. On their own they just dug the rut of sin for their life deeper and deeper. But when they called upon God and sought His forgiveness, a dramatic change was effected which dramatically altered the direction of their lives.

Dr. Gayle Woods

Col 2:1-12 (12)

If I ever saw redemptive lift it was in the life of Cleo. When I first found him he was poverty stricken, degraded, discouraged, and full of the devil. He drank, smoked, cussed, had pornography within easy reach of his chair… or his children. He had no job and didn’t care. He was lost and a loser.

Cleo, Bobbie and the kids started coming to church. Finally the day came when they prayed through at the altar. A radical change took place. No only was Cleo saved but he was changed! The cigarettes and the booze were thrown out. His language changed. His reading material changed. He got a job. He started to dress better. He had been risen with Christ. This meant that he was raised out of the depths of a sinful life to life in Christ. But this also meant that his lifestyle was altered which caused his thinking, his economy, his behavior, his demeanor and his appearance to be raised to another level as well.

Resurrection in Christ is truly a miraculous event in an individual’s life.

Dr. Gayle Woods