Glory Stories

~ PREFACE ~
Glory Stories: Real Life Testimonies of God’s Amazing Goodness, began several years ago as we, compilers of this book, shared the details of our lives with each other. Geographically, we live hundreds of miles apart: one in New England, another in the Mid-Atlantic region and yet another, in the Deep South. In spite of the distance, our friendship continues to enrich by the commonality of our hearts rooted in the love of Christ.
The sharing of our everyday lives prompted us to invite others to join us in this powerful, faith-building experience. As a result, we have gathered evidences of His Goodness, while fully knowing that this collection captures but a speck of the incomprehensible totality of God’s realm and the ultimate demonstration of His unconditional love and forgiveness freely offered and poured upon us by the Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the Cross.
This compilation, representing multiple facets of human life, has been made possible by the contributions of many, unified for the sole acclaim of the One, true and living God. It is not intended to showcase literary masterpieces but rather, to showcase pieces of The Master. Each account testifies to the Goodness of God’s Presence and Power in our lives as we oftentimes go from day to day questioning Him in our existence. Each flashes an all too brief, priceless peek of the living God which our eyes desire to see, our minds struggle to understand and our spirits hunger to trust.
God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ; God embodied in human flesh, to live on this earth and to emanate His nature and character. He, in His humanity, was subjected to trials and challenges that every human being has or ever will experience in this life. Jesus is our Model for showing us how to live day by day and overcome what may appear to be insurmountable odds that threaten to shatter us into a million pieces. Jesus Christ, God the Son, leads us to the ‘One who sent Him’ by His unquestionable obedience to and fulfillment of His Mission: the sacrifice of His life on the Cross, for the forgiveness of our sins and the guarantee of Eternal life with the Father, by His resurrection from the grave. Whoever claims Him as the Son of God, and Lord and Savior of his or her life, receives these unconditional love Gifts from the Father. God the Holy Spirit then takes residence within the individual’s heart as assured by Jesus’ unbreakable promise to send us the ‘Comforter’.
Through the Power of the Holy Spirit living within us, the Comforter promised by the Lord Jesus, our spiritual eyes become sharpened to see God’s nature; the epitome of True Love, taking hold of our heart and ultimately, gleaned in our lives. The Fruit of the Spirit, ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.’ (Galatians 5: 22 – 23 NKJV), begins to take root and permeate our inner being, resulting in the life-long process of transforming our character to that of God the Son who is the heart of the Father. We become attuned in discerning His Presence in our life, prompting and enabling us in aligning our thoughts, words and actions to the virtues of His Holy Spirit. We are enabled not by our strengths but by yielding to the Power of the Holy Spirit.
As we become increasingly aware of His Hand masterfully swooning throughout our days, we can confidently voice an authoritative knowledge of Him as Jehovah Jireh ~ God, our Provider. These testimonies witness to His fulfillment of all our needs and not necessarily all of our wants. He alone, knows what is best for us. We can boldly proclaim Him as Jehovah Rapha ~ God, our Healer, by the evidences pointing to Him as the Great Physician who brings wellness in our body, mind and spirit. He strengthens us by bolstering a reservoir of faith in Him, in spite of when or how we may be ailing. We also grow in an intimate knowledge of Him as Jehovah Shalom ~ God, Our Peace / Our Comforter by His assurances that He is Who He says He is. We can rest peacefully, knowing that we are nestled in God’s loving and all-powerful Hands, under His watchful and protective view.
As you delve into each testimony, we hope that you will make time for the pages devoted for your reflections and communing with God. Whether you are at His Door: asking about Him, seeking to know Him, or knocking to accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life, remember that we need not be shy or afraid. God has given us a permanent, open invitation to meet and grow in deeper relationship with Him. All we need to do is simply RSVP by way of His Son.
Our wish is that you receive each of these real life stories and wisdom-filled antidotes lavished with the amazing Goodness of God, as a step experienced in someone’s life, lovingly shared to encourage and strengthen you in your own.