Gideons Spread God's Word
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." -- Isaiah 55:10-11
Last Sunday we had a Gideon speak at our church service. It's a once a year thing, something I look forward to. The Gideon's will always be, to me, the nice men who visited my elementary school and gave us all small red Bibles. I still have mine. I wonder if they still do that or if some judge has put a stop to their wonderful gifts.
That's what the Gideons do. They give away Bibles. It's an awesome job, don't you think? Of course, they don't get paid to do it. Not with money anyway. In fact, they spend their own money to travel and give Bibles away. One hundred percent of donations goes to buying and shipping Bibles. The Gideons are on their own when it comes to expenses.
They don't seem to mind. I've never met a Gideon that didn't have a special spring in his step. They tend to light up when they speak of people they've given Bibles to. They talk about numbers and need. They mention people who came to know Jesus because someone else gave money to buy Bibles. That just spreads and spreads. Just like God said it would.
God's Word lives and breathes throughout the world. It touches hard hearts and innocent ears. It reaches the poor and the rich, the average worker and the tough criminal. It reaches out and brings more and more people toward Him. That was His plan, after all.
We are, as this Gideon said, soldiers in God's army. We volunteered for the job when we accepted Jesus' gift of salvation. God expects us to go forth, to tell others so that everyone might be saved. Sometimes that means talking to people right where we are. And sometimes that means giving money to buy Bibles so that someone else can give them away.
I'm so grateful the Gideons exist. They do God's work. If you're ever looking for a wonderful organization to support, consider giving money to buy a few Bibles. Let God use you to reach others. You might be surprised by the spring in your step.
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