FORWARD
I Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. …
Who can ever forget the day they were saved! Granny was a century old and could never forget. She didn’t really know her true birthday, but she was pretty sure she was 100 and not 102 or 103. Records were sparse back then and the old family Bible had suffered a terrible accident with her birth date along with it. It was easy for people to remember in these modern days. Everyone celebrated on their birthday. When she’d been growing up they celebrated in the New Year and moving up a grade in school, but birthdays were just another day in life. Parents today might be accused of neglecting their kids if they didn’t have birthdays with parties and cakes. So, she was One Hundred years old? Moses reached One-Hundred-Twenty, and Methuselah Nine-Hundred-Sixty-Nine, now that was livin’.
Granny was saved when she was Eight years old. That was a great day. It was the day Jesus called and brought her safely out of death’s cold grip, Hell’s fiery furnace, and into God’s grace by the power of His cleansing blood. She’d walked into Sunday school a condemned sinner and skipped out of church a sinner saved by grace. O, what a day! That was like a coronation day, first day of school, or even like enlisting in the Army; God’s army. And like all of these days they were just marking a beginning. Granny didn’t know it then, but she was on standby. She was waiting to move.
In the meantime Granny grew in grace and knowledge of the Lord. She couldn’t wait till Sunday and Wednesday. Her Mom and Dad never missed church if it could be helped. Why, Daddy went with an aching tooth once, crying, wincing, and squirming in his pew during the whole service. People thought he was convicted, saddened, or glad, depending on their own situation. Many went to the altar to get right with God. It just goes to show; God can even use a stubborn ole’ hillbilly with a toothache!
When Granny was around Twenty-Three, soon after she’d gotten married, she came to a crossroads. The Holy Ghost had been dealing with her about some things. She’d been holding out on God and realized the only way God could use her was for her to surrender to whatever God wanted for her. Sounds like a tongue twister, but it was a heart twister. That was the day she gave herself completely over to God. It was as though she had gotten her marching orders, or had taken the reigns of responsibility and graduated from growing to going.
Today she was One-Hundred and she’d lived a full life. God had put her in many people’s lives and hearts since that day. There was the day she’d never forget that had her skipping home with joy unquenchable. Then, another day she’d never forget, when she’d put on the whole armor of God and with a cry of triumph ran against all odds to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
She had been going for God from that day forward.
May we all look back and see that day in our yesterday.
