Only Jesus

Our global digital missionary group meets weekly via Zoom for training, reports, and worship, led by Adventist World Radio personnel.

We met again recently, but the devotional for the day impacted me profoundly and redirected my strategies. Over the last five years, a relative has been staying in my home.

Without thinking about his personal habits but with some trepidation, I agreed to help him. He said, “It is for a short time until I get on my feet.” It has been a nightmare ever since. When his drinking and smoking came to light, I tried different strategies to help him get rid of the habits. But nothing worked. I asked every prayer group to pray for him.

I prayed for him; I talked with him; I counseled him; I fussed at him; I offered him professional resources. I gave him all the facts surrounding his negative habits, and I ignored him. Elders have spoken with him, relatives have spoken to him, and his healthcare workers have spoken to him. We have devotions, and we pray together, but nothing has helped him to change. The title of that life-changing devotional was “Salvation Is Not an Event, It Is a Person.” As we were assigned to our prayer breakout rooms, we were charged to ask Jesus to change us.

Not to repair us, not to mend us, not to fix us, but to give us new hearts.

In addition, we were asked to present Jesus to our contacts, whether they were in our homes, our local communities, or our digital communities.

Our leader said, “If someone is smoking and/or drinking around you, remember, salvation is not an event—it is a Person.” That statement resonated with me and really arrested my attention. As we prayed together, we all echoed the same sentiment regarding the eye-opening devotional. We had never heard it stated so clearly, although we thought we had a good understanding of the love of God. It does not matter how hard we try, how much good we think we are doing, or how much effort we put forth to try to transform the unbeliever; let us first endeavor to have the Person of Jesus remake us daily—and present this Person to others.

My relative is now slowly getting to know the Person of Jesus. Only Jesus.

May it be the same for us all.

Amen!

Pauline A. Dwyer-Kerr