God's Saving Power Part 2

I mentioned yesterday that Chris' brother and sister-in-law recently became believers. Today I want to share with you Jeff's testimony. Again, it's been absolutely amazing to see him change through the power of God's work in his life! He is so different from the Jeff I remember meeting before Chris and I were married. I hope these testimony's encourage you to keep praying for those in your life that it seems as if God is "slow" to save. Don't give up for the power of God is always at work- even in ways we cannot see! And if you've never heard the Gospel or have not come to believe it I hope you will be encouraged to learn and find out more by reading about these two changed lives.

My name is Jeff Daukas and for the next couple of minutes I’m going to talk to you about the Glory of God and how it’s manifested in my life.

Before Jesus was in my life, I was extremely happy….Happy in my sin of being selfish, self-centered, focused on the here and now. Married for seven years, I was not a good husband, although I thought I was….I was not a good person, although I thought I was that, too…I did a bunch of “good things” ….I was nice to people, I tried to be charitable; however, I was over and over again sobered by the temporary feeling of happiness in my life from these deeds. As my circumstances changed, so did my level of happiness. Scripture shows us that “it is by Grace we have been saved through faith, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:8-10) My good works meant nothing, and “all my righteous deeds are were like a filthy garment.” (Isiah 64:6)

In April 2005, I took a hard look at myself and who I wanted to be. My son was four months old, and I vividly remembered a promise I’m sure every parent makes with their newborn child – Lord, make me a good enough father for this little one. A good enough husband for my wife, and a good enough leader for my family… I didn’t find God then, He found me. The Bible specifically states prior to the gift of salvation, all of us are “enemies of God.” Jesus, through His perfect all-encompassing Grace, saved me from the penalty of my sin that day, and I have been His ever since. My wife was saved about nine months after, and I saw Jesus in her as a supportive mirror of the man God wanted me to be. I am blessed by my wife now, my helper and sister in Christ Jesus. Since that day, I have strived to “be diligent to present myself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15.)

My life is a journey centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know from the book of Romans that all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God, and that the wages of sin is Death…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. And that God so mercifully loved us so much that He demonstrated this love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. All He asks is that we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, and we will be saved…for whomsoever calls upon the name of the Lord in repentance will be saved…

1 Corinthians 11:1 says, “Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.” All praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.