God Is My Salvation

Dr. Elmer Towns, a great Christian leader, tells about a conference he once led at a church in Texas. In the very first service a big old rough and tough man named Joe caught his attention. Joe weighed about 300 pounds and stood about 6'5". It seemed that he could whip anyone in the state of Texas. Dr. Towns said he had not seen anyone more excited about the Lord than Joe. He sat on the front seat of every session of the conference.

Dr. Towns asked the pastor about Joe. He shared some of Joe's amazing testimony. A few years before Joe had been one the the vilest sinners. He was a truck driver. Once his work took him out of town for three months. The day he came back to town, he couldn't wait to get down to the bar, the saloon. He was looking forward to spending time with his favorite prostitute.

He went in, ordered a drink and looked for this lady. She was not there, so he asked about her. He learned that two months before something happened to her, she said she got saved. Shortly she walked in with her Bible and looked so different that Joe barely recognized her. She sat down beside old Joe and told him how that God had become her salvation, and how that God wanted to save Joe also. Joe was reluctant to listen, but for the next two hours she opened the Bible to him. Finally, the Holy Spirit broke Joe's old hard-sinful heart. Tears welled up in his yets. They both got down on their knees and old Joe cried out to God for mercy, begging God to forgive Him of His sins, inviting Christ to come into his heart and take over his life.

Joe didn't know all that it meant, but the next Sunday he was in church. To the amazement of everyone who knew him in that service he professed his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He met Christ. He was transformed into a new man. From then on Joe was not his own man, but God's man. Indeed he was a powerful man of God.

Joe developed a new slogan that he used from that day on. He told everyone he met, "God is my slavation and He wants to save you, too."