A Fictional Narrative
Jeffrey was an exceptional student all through high school and college. Everything seemed to come easily to him. He was exceptionally intelligent and everyone knew it, including Jeffrey. There seemed to be a bright future ahead for him and he outshined all of his classmates in all his academic endeavors. He graduated from college with a 4.0 GPA and was valedictorian of his class. The future looked extremely bright for Jeffrey.
After college, Jeffrey was recruited by a top investment firm as a junior executive. He worked hard and was seen as a rising star in the company. He was being considered for partner even though he had been there much less time than others who also were vying for the same position. He was well-liked by everyone including those that were in competition with him for the much sought-after goal of partner with the firm. Everything was going well for Jeffrey and he knew, that intellectually, he had an edge over others at the firm.
In time, Jeffrey became very prideful of his intelligence outworking and outperforming all of his peers at the firm. He became lifted up in his pride and began to look down on others. This was noticed by his coworkers and management. Although his performance remained at the same high level, his attitude toward others and the company began to cause him problems.
Jeffrey also began to experiment with drugs. He felt he was smart enough to handle them. They gave him a feeling of euphoria and helped him deal with his coworkers who he felt were far beneath his intellectual level. Some of them had turned on him due to his arrogance, and Jeffrey found the drugs to be comforting.
One day one of his coworkers came to him and showed him a Bible verse that shook him to the core. This coworker was a Christian and, as we will see, the Holy Spirit would use him to convict Jeffrey of his arrogance and rescue him from the downward spiral that was taking over his life. Jeffrey had not been raised in church and had never read the Bible. He believed that there was a God but had no interest in seeking Him out or in knowing what God expected of His creation. He had lived his whole life depending on his superior intelligence, and that, up to this point, served him well. It was what he trusted in. The Bible verse the coworker shared was the following:
“For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)
Now for someone else, this verse of scripture might not have had the impact it had on Jeffrey. The Holy Spirit was using this verse to convict and draw Jeffrey to the Lord. Through this verse, Jeffrey realized that he could take no credit for the intelligence that he was blessed with. He also realized that the gift was given to him by the God He had ignored his whole life. He realized his pride was making him feel superior to others and that his intelligence did not save him from being addicted to drugs.
Up to this point in his life; Jeffrey thought that he was self-sufficient and in need of nothing. But he now realized that he was unable to live a successful life in spite of his intelligence. This came as a shock and was a rude awakening to a man who thought he had it all together. His coworker then shared the Gospel with him. He showed him from the scriptures that we have a fallen nature and for that reason, we need a Savior. He shared how the Lord left His home in Glory and died on a cruel Cross as a sacrifice for our sins. The coworker explained that by repentance and faith in Christ and His sacrificial death, we can be born again and become sons of God and have Eternal Life in the Lord’s Presence. He explained that the Lord loves us and that the Bible tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”
Jeffrey now saw his life and the gift God had given him in a totally different light. What had kept him from the Lord and had lifted him up in pride; He now saw as a gift from a loving God. His reliance now was on the Lord who loved him and Who proved it at Calvary. The Lord gave Jeffrey victory over the bondage of drugs in his life as Jeffrey walked out each day by faith in Christ and Him crucified. He realized that he must live his life by faith in the One Who loved him and that he must be thankful each and every day for all the blessings of the Lord.
“Thus says the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
But him who glories let him glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord Who exercises Lovingkindness, Judgment, and Righteousness, in the Earth: for in these things I delight, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23,24).
Always Remember,
God Loves You!
See The ABC’s of Salvation om my website. Link below:
https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/5448
See The Sinner’s Prayer on my website. Link below:
https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/1752
See the Victorious Christian Living page on my website
https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/211
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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2023
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