A Testimony

Basilis was a gambler, a compulsive one.
He was a man that had wasted all his property -including a flat in the middle of the capital city of his country- on gambling.
Horses, dogs, cards, two flies on the wall, you name the game and he had played it. And of course he had lost everything he had.
Dignity and self-respect were the first and more important things to lose, the rest followed. It was easy really.
On the top he was the foulest -mouthed person you can imagine.
He ended up sleeping- if he were lucky- in the homeless men's hostel in Galway. Quite often he slept even rougher than that.
What money he would lay his hands on, were going to feed his addiction of gambling.
On the top he was smoking 80 cigarettes a day.
Many were the times he would do everything to get a cigarette. For gambling wouldn't leave him any
money to have a meal let alone to have money for cigarettes.
Many the nights he spent searching the rubbish bags that the various pubs were
leaving outside their premises after closing time, looking for, even, a cigarette butt.
It didn't matter to him if that butt had been swept from the toilet of the place, or if a sick or healthy person had smoked it.
All it matter to him was to get a smoke and the how did not matter at all.
His family had left him - who could blame them?
He had no friends to speak of.
He had nothing to look forward to and the most of the time he had nothing to live for.


One morning in March of 1994 Basilis turned at last and acknowledged the fact that nobody could help him but God and turned to Him for help.
He accepted and confessed his mistakes and sins and asked God to give him a "chance" so to speak.
To his utter amazement God accepted him without a word of condemnation or reproval but with total love and forgiveness.


Twelve years have gone since that day that Basilis accepted the call and opened the door of his heart
to let Jesus Christ get in and to become the Lord of his life.
Today Basilis by the grace of God has is a different person. He lost early in his walk with Christ, the craving for tobacco.
Three weeks after he accepted Jesus as his Lord, he stopped gambling all together.
Funniest of all, for such a foul mouth as he used to be, today he can't bear to hear even the most "innocent" curse.
His health is drastically improved. He has seen and being part of miracles taken place in his and other people's lives.
Looking back he can't stop being amazed at the power of God who has changed him so much in so many ways.
Oh, he knows very well that he has not reached the end. There is a long-long way to go; but he also
knows that by the grace and with the help of the Holy Spirit he is going there.
More than anything else, he knows that the only reason that God walks with him and helps him in
every way, is not because Basilis has done or said anything to deserve it BUT
because of the love that God has for all the people, even for people like Basilis.

As Basilis himself puts it:
"I am 58 years looking 78 and feeling and many times behaving like a ten year old.
I have gone around the World for 12 or so years. I have seen and been in the richest and poorest places,
 have met good and bad people - and I have been and still possibly am - the worst of all.
I have been up and down like a yo-yo and never happy.
But since I made Jesus Christ my Lord, I am the healthiest, richest, happiest Basilis I've ever been in my life.
For all the years I know Christ and no matter what situations and problems I faced, He never but never, not even once
let me down, not even once refused to help me, not even once failed me.
And even when I failed Him, disobeyed Him and grieved Him, even then He did not punish me as
my sins deserved but when I repented and asked Him to forgive me He always did so.

All praise and thanks be to the Father of the Lord Jesus for His Mercy and His infinite Love and Grace and Mercy
that He has showed me and He is still doing every moment of my life."
And if He has such love for me that I am the worst, I assure you He has the same love for everybody else in this World.
To Him be Glory and Power and Dominion through the name of Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.

 

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