Follower of God

He told me he wanted to "get baptized." So I told him to meet me at TAWG (Time Alone With God) time the next day and we'd talk. I grabbed one of the elders from the church in NW Arkansas and we sat down with this boy the next day. I asked the 12 year old why he wanted to do this. Here's the answer I expected. "To let the blood of Jesus cleanse me from my sin." Not a bad answer, but kind of the pat answer I hear when talking to young people. Here's what he really said. "Because I want to be a follower of God." After talking to him, it was obvious he had been thinking about this for a long time. That evening, I had the privilege to baptize him in the swimming pool at camp.
My elder friend walked out of the canteen (that's where we studied) before I did. And as I came around the corner, I saw him. He had tears in his eyes, which wasn't unusual for him because he has such a tender heart. (By the way, one of the campers said his first reaction to camp was about a bunch of old men crying). "He's one of the campers I was afraid we would have some problems with this year," he said to me, barely audible. He grabbed me and hugged me and said, "God can do such amazing things."
I don't know what the future holds for my little friend. I do know he was reading his Bible often while at camp. Satan has a way of discouraging and tearing down. But God is greater. Please pray for Joseph. And do pray that he will truly be a follower of God. Have a great day. JW

P.S. As you can tell, I'm back from camp! I'll have a few of this tidbits this week. Also, you can now hear me live. I believe our website will have my sermons where you can hear them rather than have to read the summary. Check at www.swestcc.org and go to resources. There you'll find the weekly sermons. Thanks!