January 5, 2015


Welcome, beloved readers! It is my privilege to introduce our newest IFEL writer, Dr. Lewis Gregory (Georgia, USA). For many years, he has globally been proclaiming the liberating message of our union with Jesus Christ and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.  

 

In today's article, Dr. Gregory shares about an "almost" tragedy, which God used to open his eyes to "the realization that the source of genuine fulfillment is found only in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." At the start of a new year, we typically review the previous year and plan for the next. Are you (and I) focusing on the temporal or the eternal?

 

Please join me in welcoming IFEL writer, Dr. Lewis Gregory, as he shares with us - "A Personal Wake-up Call."   Read more below

 

Kathy Hill

Managing editor

Exchanging Life Publishing


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KEY SCRIPTURE

Seek Christ First

  

"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness..."  (Matt. 6:33, NKJV).

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A PERSONAL WAKE-UP CALL   
by Dr. Lewis Gregory, contributing writer

My wife (Lue) and I were looking forward to enjoying our first holiday weekend together as a married couple (1970). But since the news media emphasized the high risk of traveling during the holidays, we decided to play it safe and spend a leisurely weekend at home.

 

However, after the second day, we became bored. Solution: go fly a kite, except we didn't have one. So off to the store we went. Little did we know what awaited us on our return trip. As we rounded the curve, our nice quiet holiday came to a screeching halt. A major tree company's large truck crashed right into us. As I peered through the broken windshield at the front of the truck, I heard my wife moaning. The next thing I knew, we were leaving the hospital in a daze. Someone mentioned how lucky we were. Yet, I kept thinking, this was not luck, it was a miracle! This was God! We had faced death, and survived.

 

During the next few days, I had plenty of time to reflect. I did a lot of praying and personal soul searching, especially after I viewed the damage to our automobile. Wow! Our beautiful new car, which I had idolized as a symbol of success, was now merely a crumpled old junk heap. It was totally demolished. Scratch one status symbol.

 

My eyes were opened. It dawned on me that this could have been very serious. Life is extremely fragile. So, I began to ask myself some very probing questions. What did all this mean? Who am I? Where am I going? And how am I going to get there? Although it took many months to satisfactorily resolve these questions, God showed me one thing rather quickly. True life can never be found in the temporal things of this world. "And He said unto them, 'Take heed, and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses'" (Luke 12:15). Therefore, I concluded that climbing the worldly ladder of success is not the answer.

 

Well, so much for a nice, safe, relaxing weekend. However, I'm thankful for that accident. Thankful? Yes, thankful! You see, it woke me up to the realization that the source of genuine fulfillment is found only in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He alone can provide lasting peace and joy. And He has! Although I had known Christ as my Lord and Savior since age 11, I did not know Him as my Life. But now all that has changed. The outcome has been much safer and more relaxing than anything I have ever known. I have experienced a "value shift" from the temporal to the eternal.

 

Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

 

That is exactly what I did. Since I have made Him my primary focus, He has taken care of all the rest. When we focus on the eternal, He will guide us regarding the temporal. Jesus Christ is now my Lord, my Life, and my All! Now that Christ is living His life through me, it has made all the difference. Thank God, I finally woke up!

 

What are you seeking? God promised if you would seek Him, then you would find Him. He's here for you. But you must seek Him with all your heart. It's time to seek the Lord!

 
The Cross of Exchange
Send this writer a Note of Encouragement:   Click Here
PDF Version of this Article:  Click Here
   

Dr. Lewis Gregory (Georgia, USA) is a contributing writer for IOM America - Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchange Life Development. 

 

Permission obtained from writer to republish A Personal Wake-Up Call.  Copyright � 1998, 2015 by Dr. Lewis Gregory.  Articles or portions of articles may be used without written permission, as long as credit is given to the author. Editorial changes by IOM America approved by author. 

 

Scripture quotations are taken from the New  King James Version. Copyright� 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.  All rights reserved. 
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