“Rahab is extraordinary precisely because she received extraordinary grace.” This statement by Dr. MacArthur from page 16 describes all of us. Whether you were saved while still a tiny thing or after many years of rebellion, your story is truly extraordinary.
Thank you for the many stories of extraordinary grace you sent our way. It’s always tough to choose. Our question from chapter 3, “How does ‘what you once were’ magnify the glory of divine grace?” was vividly captured by Stacy Reaoch:
I love to look back in my life and remember where I was before God divinely intervened! It is always a wonderful reminder of His sovereign grace in my life. I was a freshman at Michigan State University and the ways of the world were knocking at my door. Although I had lived a fairly tame, “nominal” Christian life up until this point, things were changing. I was enjoying the freedom of college life--partying, flirting, and I was being increasingly influenced by my liberal classes. I took a feminist theory writing class, which quickly became my most beloved class. After writing a paper entitled, “I Am a Feminist”, my professor kept me after class to tell me we were kindred spirits. As you can imagine, I was all about “a woman’s right to choose!” and constantly wanting to battle the supposed oppression of women.
Yet at this same pivotal time in my life, the Lord was at work. Although I lived in an enormous freshman dormitory complex with very little Christian influence, God sovereignly placed me next door to two Christian girls. They began sharing the Gospel with me and invited me to a Bible study. At the same time I was dating my high school sweetheart (now my husband) who truly was a Christian and attending Wheaton College--the clear opposite of MSU! God had used Ben and his family to plant seeds that were now being watered. It’s so interesting for me to go back and see one of the major issues the Lord used to draw me to Himself. My increasing interest in the feminist agenda was in conflict over what I knew some Christians believed. I remember attending a “relationship panel” put on by women in Campus Crusade. Oh how I pitied those women who believed in submission and adhered to such strict Biblical principals! I tried to debate them with the minute bit of knowledge I had. I loathed the texts in Scripture like Ephesians 5 and 1 Timothy 2. They were so offensive to me and everything I thought I stood for.
Nonetheless, God used my battle against biblical womanhood to draw me to Himself. I began attending the Bible study, Crusade meetings and churches to discover what the Bible was really saying. I wanted to understand to prove my points about the oppression of woman. But God used this battle to engage my mind in His Word and His purposes for my life. After much debate, prayer, and time spent with godly women who invested in me, I placed my trust in Christ for the forgiveness of my sins. As I began to grown in my knowledge of the Lord, I learned to embrace the beauty of biblical womanhood. I’m not saying everything happened at once. I still debated my future husband over why women couldn’t be pastors (after all, he was called to pastor so why couldn’t I?!) I struggled with difficult texts about the roles of women but eventually embraced the complementary design God created for us. Ten years later spreading a passion for God’s glory through embracing biblical manhood and womanhood is one of my greatest desires!
I sometimes wonder what my life may be like if God had not intervened. Oh, how much He has spared me from in this life and the next! I praise God who called me out of darkness into His marvelous light! To His name alone be glory forever! Amen.
Thank you Stacy!
Next week’s question, from the life of Ruth is based on a quote from page 77:
“Nothing happens by ‘chance,’ but God is always behind the scenes, working all things together for the good of His people (Rom. 8:28). There is no such thing as ‘luck’ or ‘fate’ for believers.”
Given this truth, tell us about a circumstance in your life where you now see God was working “behind the scenes” for your good?
Can’t wait to read your answers!
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