A Miracle named John

Hello! I am so glad to be sharing the next few moments with you during this spiritual devotional time, my friend!

For the next seven days, I would love to share with you the miracle of the impact a person can have on your life!

Not only do I hope that you will be encouraged to see God's miracles through the people that He has placed in your life, but that you would be challenged to BE THAT PERSON FOR SOMEONE ELSE!

In 2003, my pastor, mentor, and leader had fallen away from his walk with God, and in turn, departed from the church. I was heartbroken. As a result, I became the pastor of a church of thousands of people. I was a young pastor at the time, and was overwhelmed with all the positions required of me. I felt lost and incapable of doing this new task, which God had laid in front of me. That is when the God of the Universe sent me a miracle named John!

At that time, John was serving in our church as a recovery leader and a Church Council member. He was a kind man who had experienced miraculous healing from anger, which transformed his life. John loved Jesus passionately and it showed!

While feeling lost, John showed up in my office and said, “Grant my son, (he always called me “his son”), you are drowning and I am here to help. I am going to give you one year of my life to help you succeed in this task that God had laid before you. I don’t want to be seen as a volunteer by the staff, so my salary for one year will be one American dollar. Together, we will make this work.”

I was so stunned. I didn’t know what to say other than “thank you, John”.

Not only did John work with me, but he also mentored me. As part of a spiritual recovery program, I chose John as the man that I would "confess my sin" to, so that I could experience the healing of James 5:16 (NIV), "Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." I will never forget that powerful moment. I confessed the worst of me, and John's response was, "Grant my son, I love you more now than when we started."

For the next year, John worked with me and taught me how to be a spiritual leader. Some of the lessons that I learned from him were the power of forgiveness, the power of sacrifice, the servant heart of the leadership of Jesus and mostly, the miracle of love.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13, NIV)

Take a moment and reflect. Who has God placed in your life that has laid down their life to walk with you on your spiritual journey?

Thank God for those who come to mind.

Now, who can you lay down your life for today to help, encourage or challenge?

Thank God for the miracle of those God has placed in your life, and then BE THE MIRACLE of presence and help someone else today!

John went home to be with Jesus a few years back. I miss him every day but because of his investment in me, I want to pay his miracle forward to the people God has called me to serve.

Let’s be this miracle together!

You are a miracle!

Grant Fishbook

P.S. The texts of this reading come from the daily email A Miracle Every Day. If you want to receive an email every day, I invite you to subscribe to A Miracle Every Day.