𝘈𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝟺-𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮 … “𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴”. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳! 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.

To you who believe, He is precious. ⁣
(1 Peter 2:7, NKJV)

Who is He? His Name is Jesus. He is our Savior. We trust Him with our lives, now and for eternity.

How has He become so precious to us? How do we know how precious we are to Him? What has won our hearts to place our trust in the Lord Jesus? Who is He and what gives us the confidence to claim His promises of eternal life and so many other abundant provisions?

Our stories may not make headlines, but we want to be faithful to tell them.  We want to bear witness of the reality of GOD in our lives, His saving grace, the tender places where we encounter His love, and the battle grounds where He wins our hearts.

Stories are powerful.  Captivating.  Relatable.  Enlightening.  Warm and inviting.  The most interesting stories tell of wondrous transformation, rescue, healing, hope!  The very best stories tell of the GOD who created us, who knows us intimately, who gave His own Son to be our Savior.

John chapter 9 tells the story of a man who was born blind. For decades he had only seen darkness. Until he met Jesus and miraculously received his sight!

This man with new eyes had few answers for the barrage of questions from those who knew him only as a blind beggar. “I don’t know,” was all he could say. But his limited knowledge didn’t diminish the power of his story. Again and again, he clearly and joyfully declared his own experience, “I was blind, but now I can see!” (John 9:25, NLT)

As this man responded to each new wave of questions, his story became more real to him. His voice became stronger. Before long, he was boldly proclaiming the truth of GOD. Even when others refused to hear, this man told his story with confidence that would not be deterred. No one could deny him the reality he had just lived!

As he struggled to explain what happened to him, I believe GOD’s Spirit gave him words. As he heard the truth about the One who healed him, spoken from his own lips, his faith increased and his voice became stronger and stronger.

Jesus didn’t leave the man to sort through the events of that eventful day on his own.  He pursued a second encounter with him.  Face to face, Jesus asked him, “do you believe in Me?”  The man replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe!”  And he worshiped Jesus. (John 9:35-38, NLT)

The response of the Jewish leaders who questioned this man, as recorded in Scripture, was only rejection and persecution. But perhaps there were others standing by, watching what unfolded and hearing this man’s testimony, who were drawn to know and trust the Savior. It is entirely possible. The Lord Jesus Himself stated that this man’s circumstances were purposely orchestrated by the Father so “the power of GOD could be seen in him.” (John 9:3, NLT)

This dear man encountered Jesus and he was never the same again.  Nothing could take away the healing he received.  The power of his own story deepened his understanding of the reality of GOD in his life, the impossible healing he received in his physical body, and the transformation that took place in his heart!

This same Jesus values each one of us.  The One whose love stops at nothing to pursue our hearts.  The One who secured eternal life and light and peace with GOD – for us!  The One whose power and faithfulness win our enduring trust.  The One who moves and works in our lives in wondrous, priceless ways, granting us glimpses of glory and gifts of joy with which nothing can compare!

If this is true for you, if Jesus is precious to you, then you don’t want anyone else to miss the opportunity to experience the same redeeming power, eternal security, and boundless love in their own life.  Your story is powerful!  Your personal testimony can help someone else find their own path to the Savior.  How sweet it is for each one of us to tell our own story of Jesus!

Over the next few weeks, Vine to Branches will be sharing personal stories of men and women just like you who have come to trust the Lord Jesus as their Savior. How did He work in their lives to get their attention? How did He reveal Himself to them, personally? How did their hearts respond to the truth of who He is and the salvation He offers? How did He become precious to them and what gives them the confidence to know they are precious to Him?

It is our prayer that these stories will touch your heart, help you rejoice in your own saving knowledge of Jesus as your Savior OR draw you to know and trust Him for the first time.

Oh, how He loves you and me.  Trusting Him as your Savior and resting in His promises is the best decision you will ever make!

[Jesus said] ⁣
I am come that they might have life. ⁣
(John 10:10, KJV)⁣
⁣
[Jesus said]⁣
I have told you these things ⁣
so that you may be filled with joy. ⁣
(John 15:11)

𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴⁣
𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥⁣
𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴⁣
𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥

(Eddy Arnold, 1918-2008)