1 Samuel 18:6-11
My parishioner was a bitter woman. She was easily peeved. She inhaled gossip and exhaled criticism. The past wrongs that she had suffered were her favorite topic of conversation.
She seldom missed church, but on the other hand she had never been a Christian. When I repeatedly spoke to her about her need, explaining the way of Salvation in simple terms she would say, “But, Bro. Woods, it seems so hard. I just can’t understand.” She was too old to take the chance of not understanding.
I was concerned and baffled. What would cause a person who seemed so interested in the church and spiritual matters to go through a long life to never enjoy the benefits of Salvation?
I discovered that she and another lady who attended our church had a disagreement years earlier when they attended the same grade school. Unforgiveness and bitterness were the result which corrupted her heart with an evil spirit. Such a small thing, and yet such a big thing. Small enough to seem petty to all who were not involved and yet big enough to block a person from entering through the pearly gates.
Dr. Gayle Woods
Mark 5:25-34
I did not know her, but I pastored him. Arthur’s mother had prayed for her wicked and wayward son without ceasing for years. He was raised in a holiness home and attended a holiness church regularly all of his younger years. He was ornery but not mean. He was rebellious but not evil. Church and spiritual matters held little interest for him as a boy. He did, however, enjoy the fun that he could have at church and was known for his practical jokes and ornery pranks.
Haley Stokes made a great impression on Arthur’s young mind as he stormed in the pulpit. Hell fire and graphic descriptions of the evils of society made the young boy squirm but did not bring him to repentance.
Often he came home late at night after a rollicking evening of sin. Then the discomfort of conviction would settle upon him as he heard his mother praying . . . for the salvation of her lost son.
Unfortunately she never knew the Arthur that I knew. Long before I first met Arthur, she went to heaven. He regretted his willful life and repented of his sins. His love for fun and his ready wit often surfaced when he testified of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
The many hours of prayer, the ache of a longing heart and the insistent faith of a little saintly woman bore fruit long after her own departure. This example joins many others who have not known the rewards of faith in this life but nevertheless have left a legacy for us to follow.
Dr. Gayle Woods
