20 YEARS LATER
In the news in 2005, we learned that Brian Nichols shot four people in a Georgia courthouse as he was facing the court on rape charges. As he fled, he took a young mother named Ashley Smith hostage. For 24 hours, Ashley had the opportunity to talk with Brian. Her topic was about God, as she read from the Bible and the book The Purpose Driven Life.
One reporter said she read from the 33rd chapter. This is a chapter on servant hood. Portions of that chapter read like this: “Real servants of God make themselves available to serve… real servants do what’s needed, even when it’s inconvenient… can God mess up your plans without you becoming resentful? As a servant, you don’t get to pick and choose when or where you will serve… Being a servant means giving up the right to control your schedule and allowing God to interrupt it whenever he needs to… servants see interruptions as divine appointments… great opportunities to serve never last long; they pass quickly, sometimes never to return again… you may only get one chance to serve that person, so take advantage of the moment…”
Brian surrendered to the police. Ashley surrendered her own addiction to God. Last report was she was married with a family occasionally still being asked to share her story!
What an object lesson on the power of serving. Your act of serving will save lives also. Just because you can’t see it immediately does not mean God didn’t have a purpose. Mark 10:43: “Whoever wants to be great must become a servant” … Matt. 7:16: “You can tell what they are by what they do” …
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