The Ripple Effect...by John Naberhaus

 

Years ago I moved back to the town where I grew up in central Florida. There I met Dick. He owned the local bicycle shop. I joined the church choir and Dick was in it. He sang bass and had a great voice. His favorite was "The King Is Coming" by Bill Gather. I can still hear Dick sing,

 

The marketplace is empty, no more traffic in the street
All the builder's tools are silent, no more time to harvest wheat
Busy housewives cease their labor, in the courtroom no debate
Work on earth has been suspended as the King comes through the gate.

 

I was a runner and a golfer. But Dick got me into biking. I found an old, bent bicycle frame and managed to straighten it out. Dick gave me some parts and I bought some others. Then I put them all together and had a ten-speed bicycle. Dick and I would bike for hours, just riding and talking about the Lord.

 

Sometime later I changed jobs and met Rick. I don't remember if he was a Christian at the time. As Dick and I had done before, we started riding bikes together. And also as with Dick, we spent a lot of time talking, especially about the Lord.

 

A year or so later, the plant where we worked closed and we were both out of a job. I found work in Texas and eventually ended up in North Carolina, where I still live. And strengthened by all those conversations, I've been able to minister to many who desperately need God's love.

 

But Rick stayed in Florida. Over time, he and his wife, Beth, became very active in his church. Then one day God called them to fulltime missionary work. They accepted and soon began ministering to people in Peru. They have been there for several years now.

 

It's amazing what all began from a simple bike ride with a Christian friend. Dick's enthusiasm for God and biking led to Rick and I having our own impact in different parts of the world. What he started had a ripple effect, and those ripples have spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the world.

 

You carry the ripple effect from the impact someone has had in your life. It may rest in a talent or gift, skill or knowledge. And from you, that same ripple spreads out. The life you live is a life that others see. Can they see Jesus in you? Can they see His ripple effect?

 

We interact with many different people-children, seniors, those with special needs, singles, young parents...the list goes on and on. And God calls us all to be a witness to someone somewhere. If you don't know where to start, try looking in your home. Is everyone walking with God?

 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

 

God can use every Christian. We are part of the ripple that started with Jesus Christ. Will you spread that ripple?

 

The King is coming! Praise God, He is coming for me. Is He coming for you?