Practice what they preach
A friend told me this story about Pieter, Hennie and Susan.
Pieter had a hard childhood. He lost his father when he was young. He did not have a good relationship with his much older mother and had no contact with his only sister. Without these family relationships, he ended up making friends with the wrong people.
He became a gang member and was caught hijacking a truck transporting cigarettes. He was sentenced to 18 years and transferred to Victor Verster prison. This is where he met Hennie.
Hennie was a prison guard and a devoted child of the Lord. He saw Pieter’s potential and encouraged him to start studying.
In the next 10 years, Pieter accepted Jesus as his Saviour and did many Bible study and pastor courses. He was awarded two finance degrees from Unisa, passing both cum laude.
Pieter began to evangelise his fellow prisoners. He also taught them mathematics and in 2014 received a certificate from the education department for being the teacher with the best mathematics results in Grade 12.
After Pieter’s release from prison, he started working at an auditing firm.
What a feel-good story. But it actually doesn’t stop there. There was another person in the story. Susan. Someone had to finance Pieter’s studies, and she volunteered to do it. Ironically, the truck that Pieter and his accomplices had stolen belonged to none other than Susan’s company.
Hennie saw the prisoner’s worth through the eyes of Jesus, not their criminal past. Through the eyes of Jesus, you can see other people’s potential.
Susan knew grace, because she received so much from the Lord and liked to share it with the people around her in different ways. She can’t help but share and give, even if the person had stolen from her.
After Pieter changed his mind and was converted, his life changed completely. His salvation drove him to share it with everyone around him.
The lives of these three individuals reveal a common truth: I am a child of God. Their actions show: I belong to God’s family. Their actions are in line with their faith. They practice what they preach. And they’re definitely not part of the following group of people: 6If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim.
Let’s make sure we’re not part of this group of people too, and live what we believe like Pieter, Hennie and Susan.
Scripture
1 John 1:5-10
Reflection
What do your family relationships look like?
What do your actions look like?
Are they aligned?
Prayer
Father, thank you that I may be called your child and is part of your royal family. I need Your help to get my actions in line. Amen.