Tag: Testimony

How Good is God? Devotional

Do we know just how good God is? Do we have any idea how good God is?

We should be dead in our trespasses. But God! But God is good, and He made a way, through the blood of Jesus Christ!

Saturday, I’m at home, my back is out, and I get on my knees, and I pray. I’m praying about how good God is in my life and I start weeping and I feel the Holy Spirit comes over me and I just be still, basking in it, praying about how good He is and that I have no idea how good He is.

Even when we don’t understand or when it hurts, God is still good. Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

James 1:2 “Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2025)

Where is Jesus right now? On the right hand of the Father (Col. 3:1). What is Jesus doing? He is interceding on our behalf. John 17:24, all good answers. Jesus is preparing a place for us in Heaven. John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;[a] believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?[b] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”  (Bible Gateway ESV 2025) Jesus is preparing a place for us, in Heaven, isn’t that good!

I was texting Junior today about what we need to bring, is it going to be inside, do we need skewers for hotdogs and do we need to bring chairs and he wrote me back and said Amy offered to make pork loin, and pumpkin pie and tea and I was like, yes and thank you and I was about to start weeping again and I was thinking why am I about to cry over this and I realized just how good God is. We don’t have to look far to see God’s goodness, just look around you. We needed rain and it rained. We’ve got food and fellowship. There are so many reasons to be thankful. 

Let’s just be still and bask in God’s goodness in our lives. Let’s be quite for a minute or two and take in the beauty of God’s creation and His goodness.

It was put on my heart for this brotherhood; we could share some of our testimonies. Brother Zack said he feels like he doesn’t have a very exciting testimony. He didn’t hit rock bottom; he didn’t go to jail. He didn’t lose everything, you see God reveals himself differently to each person. He has revealed Himself differently to each one of us. Aaron’s testimony is going to differ from Zack’s, and we can reach different people with our own different testimony.

God revealed Himself through general revelation to some of us and God has revealed Himself through special revelation to others, through creation, or God’s Word, or through something extraordinary.

I Traded Beer for Bass and Jesus

I always felt like I believed in Jesus from an early age.  I remember going to church with my mom and dad as a kid.  I remember getting baptized in the river.  I can’t say I have a date that I remember getting saved like some people have it marked on their calendar.

But I know I fell away from Jesus.  I joined the Air Force and got married at a young age.  I remember talking to my wife about Jesus while I was at Technical School and thought we were on the same page, but we weren’t.  We didn’t find a church and I wasn’t reading my Bible.

Anyway, that marriage didn’t work.  I am a firm believer that you must put God first in everything you do (now).   We ended up getting a divorce and I got remarried…blah blah blah, get the to good stuff. 

Basically, I drank a bunch of beer while stationed in Germany and did things I shouldn’t do. 

I got married again and moved from Germany to my hometown, a small town in Arkansas.  My wife started working at a Homestead cooking, she loves cooking.  The owner invited her to church, and she came home with a pamphlet from their church, saying we should go.  I was like, “I don’t know if I am ready for church” (that’s a commitment.)  Thank God, we started going to the church.  Then my wife started reading the Bible at night, while I was watching TV.  It didn’t take long, and we both were reading the Bible together.  A marriage is so much stronger with three cords twined together, as opposed to just two.  A man and woman united with God can withstand challenges and endure difficulties together. 

And after a while, The Lord told be to quit drinking beer and I listened and I am so glad, I did! 

We got into camping, bought a camper and now I am addicted to fishing.  I traded beer for bass and Jesus. 

 We got plugged into church and I truly believe I (we) have a fruitful relationship with God.  I am the president of the Men’s Brotherhood.  I take care of the message on the sign every week.  I believe the Holy Spirit gives me messages to go on the sign and it’s my prayer that they touch people’s lives. 

Our daughter was baptized on her own free will.  We just try to shine our light and live for Christ, sharing the gospel any chance we get.

I started a Non-profit organization called Love Pray Fish EIN# 99-1525820.  We give fresh fileted fish to needy families.  I am looking for veterans to fish with, to support my fishing addiction and to get them out in the outdoors to improve their mental health and well-being. 

I also applied to volunteer to take hospice patients fishing. I set up a table at a military appreciation day, trying to get vets signed up for fishing and I was approached by two hospice organizations asking if I would consider taking their patients fishing.  They told me that some of their last wishes are to go fishing. 

Anyway, God is good, and I am so blessed that God first loved me and that He chased me down.  I was the prodigal child and now I am back home where I belong.  I traded sin and shame for Jesus and forgiveness.  You too can come back home, stop running and give your life to Jesus.  He will set you free.  Now, I am addicted to Jesus and fishing, instead of beer and sin. 

Update: I may have a boring testimony, and I am ok with that.  Our pastor spoke last night at Kid’s Camp, and he said that he had a boring testimony. (It’s awesome how the Holy Spirit works, I was working on this article, and Zack spoke about some of the same things) He said nothing really bad happened to him, God spared him.  He didn’t fall into drugs, or sexual immorality, before making Jesus the King of his life.  He said that his parents took him to church three times a week and he was baptized at an early age, but he wasn’t really saved.  He wasn’t living for Christ; he was just trying to please his mom and dad.  He was baptized again at 17 and this time it was for all the right reasons.

 I’ll take a boring testimony over all the bad things that could have happened.  Zack went on to say that 94% of Christians say they were saved at an early age.  And his prayer was that during Kids’ Camp, that children would be saved from the wrath of God at an early age, right here at Kids’ Camp, that God would spare them also from all the bad things they could fall into, that they too could have a somewhat boring testimony and say that so many years ago I was saved at Kids’ Camp. That’s a great prayer.  I hope Zack’s right and there are a lot of kids saved right here at Kids’ camp.