Day 202

Monday, June 24, 2019 -

On Friday, I had an opportunity to meet “K,” and spent over an hour talking to him pertaining to things of the Lord. I don’t know much about his past life or why he’s in prison other than what he told me, and what “C” has told me, as he’s been one of “C’s” spiritual mentors since he’s become a Christian.

He also came to our Bible study on Saturday and I’ve observed him to be one the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met about the Scriptures. He’s very much a linguist, and claims to have that background, but I have no idea what he did for a living. He told me, “Thank God for prison. I grew up in a devout Christian Baptist home, went to church my whole life, but didn’t truly meet Christ until I came to prison.” Since then, in the 12 or so years he’s been locked up, he’s taught himself biblical Greek and Hebrew, and he studies the Scriptures in the original text. We seem to agree on everything theologically. “C” says his time is pretty much totally consumed reading the Scriptures. Every new Greek or Hebrew word he encounters results in a journey throughout all of Scripture, as he examines every single use of that word. I was extremely impressed. I wonder, after he gets out of prison in another ten years, at the age of 68, how God will utilize the amazing knowledge of His Word that “K” has gleamed from years and years of intensive study.

It was this man who encouraged and helped teach “C,” who had dropped out of high school, to learn to read so he could study the Scriptures himself.

When I mentioned how few who attend church on any given Sunday will probably be welcomed into heaven, he agreed, recalling the remnant of 7,000 God called to Elijah’s attention (I Kings 19:18), the mere handful of people God saved in the ark (Genesis 7:13), and only two out of as many as 2 million that were allowed to enter the promised land.

Like “K,” we must search our hearts for unconfessed patterns of sin, and whether or not we’ve truly surrendered every aspect of our life to Christ, making Him Lord of all. Are we willing to give up all for the sake of Christ? Our possessions? Our family? Our security? Our freedom? Our life? (Matthew 10:37-39)