Love, Claudia (BWWM)

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Repentance, the action of repenting; sincere regret or remorse."

"Each person who turns to God in genuine repentance and faith will be saved."

"Are we to mope around or whine all day after God forgave us? No. Stand tall, rely on God, and do His will. Keep His Word. Do not return to what He released you from; begin again with the grace and mercy of God covering you and His love keeping you."

"Be wise, watchful, kind, generous, faithful, courageous, loving as you live. We know the day will come when it'll be too late to do right. Do right, right now."

"But don't forget to pray for the lost. Don't forget that you were once lost but are now found and alive in Christ. Pray for them. Pray for the people that hurt you. Pray for your rude boss. Pray for the ones that look down on you for being different. All men need Christ, but not all men will admit it."

"I encourage you all to read 1 and 2 Corinthians. And once you finish those, read 1 and 2 Thessalonians. You'll see the difference between men who believe they don't need to follow God's word and men who own their weakness and need for God."

River looked around the room and thought of Claudia.

She was a blissful distraction.

His sweet love.

However, she wasn't there. Her tiny home was being delivered, and she wanted to be there to see it.

"Today, as I close the final class, I ask you to examine yourself. You've learned that God will receive you as you are, but He will change you, renew you, and make you spotless. You know to leave behind what He's freed you from. You know that His love covers all error. You know that if you ask, He will provide according to His will. You understand that the Holy Spirit will bless you with the fruit of the Spirit, ask, and He will. Trials will come, joy will come, sorrow will come, peace will come, and if you stick to Christ, through trials and sorrow, the peace and joy will stay."

"Will you answer the call of Christ and receive new life?"

"God, I thank You for the opportunity to teach this class and explain Your perfect Word to the people. Thank You for Your mercies that renew every morning. Keep us, Lord. Help us walk out the newness You've given us. And help us all remember the gift of salvation and live with a grateful heart. I ask this all in Jesus' name, Amen."

River nodded at the students and sent a quick text to Claudia.

River: Class is over, I will be to you soon.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Ambrose asked, sounding unsure.

This was new.

"Yeah, of course, man." River wasn't going to pass up a conversation with Ambrose.

The man needed God, and he hoped that after weeks of class, Ambrose was ready to know God.

"I've been toiling with this bull for a while, I can't seem to kick it. I didn't want to come to this class, but for some stupid reason, I did."

Ambrose groaned and facepalmed.

"What does God want from me? I thought coming to this class would give me more reasons to refute His existence, but I can't deny the truth."

Ambrose motioned to River's wheelchair. "How can you live for God when He put you in that chair? I can't live for Him now with an able-body, but you can without one. What is faith? Why does God call everyone to Him? He knows everything, so why does He still want everyone? And why don't they come to Him?"

River sat back in his chair and shook his head. "God loves you, Ambrose. And He wants you to repent, just like what I taught today. Leave behind your faithless ways, and come to know Him. God has been solid since before time began, and reading His word helped me understand that. He doesn't change. You know my story, but now here I am."