The story told about President Lyndon Baines Johnson when he was in the White House.

He had a framed letter on the wall, which is very unusual for the president to be in the

Oval Office to have that framed letter right there and for everybody to read. It was a letter

from General Sam Houston, after whom the city

of Houston is named, to Johnson's grandfather, Mr. Baines. And he used often to tell the signature

of Mr. Houston is very, very expensive, very valuable, very valuable. But really what is

priceless is the story behind that letter. See, Mr. Baines had led General Houston to the Lord.

And when General Houston came to Christ, his life became transformed and changed for everyone to see.

General Houston used very coarse language.

He was extremely belligerent, and everybody knew this man, when he was transformed by the power of Christ,

the change was very perceptible.

He became peaceful and contented and loving and generous. It was a tremendous witness to the

power of Christ of transforming a life. And that was not all. When the day came for General Houston to be baptized, it was an event.

Hundreds of people showed up for that baptism to witness it.

And so he went into the water of baptism, and then he came out, and he made an announcement.

He said, I'm going to give half of the church's budget.

And people said to him, why? Why are you doing that? He said, ah, when I was baptized, my pocketbook

got baptized too. In fact, this is one of the clearest demonstration of the reality of God's grace in a person's

life. It's just like Zacchaeus in the New Testament. When the Lord Jesus Christ came into his life,

when the Lord Jesus Christ came into his house, he basically said, my pocketbook got baptized,

and here's what I'm going to do.

Anyone who've experienced the grace of God but never responds to that grace in a tangible thanksgiving that is of giving of themselves, that person denies by their action the very words of their lips.

...