`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````December Two years ago Christmas, a Christian mom shared her son's story after he was brought to Juvenile Hall. Newly repentant, he shared Christ in the unit with other incarcerated youth by example, since his return to God. Corrie ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor, said every time she stepped into a prison she prayed, 'Lord make me a light in a dark place.' This young man shed just a little bit of light his brief stay in a very dark place.
"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16
Today a Christian Mom stood talking with us about her sixteen-year-old son, Jake, who is still in Juvenile Hall. He’s been in now almost two months.
“He is walking with the Lord again,” she answered my brother, who had visited her son when he was in the lockdown units. Jake was raised a Christian. Now my brother spoke to his mom and questioned her son’s sincerity, parent to parent.
“When he’s in deception he’s quoting scripture without his heart--but I always know it,” she explained pointing to her eyes. “I can see it in his eyes… because they look dark.”
Then she pointed to her chest. “And I can feel it inside—something’s not right.” She continued talking about her wayward, now homeward-bound prodigal.
“When he first got in the Hall he used to ask me, 'Why am I going through such persecution when I'm following the Lord now?'. Since his arrest he was reading scripture and the kids knew he was a Christian. He’s pretty verbal about his faith when he’s on,” she spoke proudly.
“But the kids were filling empty orange juice containers with urine and dumping them on his bed when the crew wasn’t watching. Or they’d hit him when the guards weren’t around. This last week he transferred to another unit. Jake said he was standing in the community room after he arrived and the smallest kid in that unit came up and gave him a punch.”
She smiled as if holding a secret pearl.
“My son is a big boy. He told me he looked at the kid and he said, ‘I admire you for your bravery, you could have picked on someone your size , but you chose someone much bigger. I could pummel you but I won’t , because it is not a nice thing to do. What you did was not nice either. In the future weigh your actions. God bless you’.”
“I’ve told my son if you follow the Lord he will follow you with signs and wonder working miracles. That young man began to cry, and he even went to the guard and told them what he did… he felt so convicted.”
Now she grinned widely. “There was a young Jewish boy sitting on the couch with him who hated God and hated life.”
“Why didn’t you hit him back?" He asked Jake perplexed.
Jake answered, “Because Jesus says to turn the other cheek and I have to follow Jesus.”
The young man was so impressed, he talked to my son and then… he got saved.
Therefore brothers we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Romans 8:12-14
Share hope at Christmas. "Cheesesticks," an amazing story from Juvenile Hall is included under the Pursuit of God section of the book /Bible Study Lord of the Ringless, available to order now online by clicking the blue purchase button top left this home page.
