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"Go and make disciples of all..." Matt. 28:19
I've known this verse a long time, but I only began to grasp its real application recently. I'm a little ashamed to make that admission, especially since I've been in ministry leadership for years.
"Go and make disciples." Jesus couldn't have been more plain. Go - get out there. Make disciples - lead people into relationship with me. Perhaps the problem is we over-spiritualize that last part.
I don't think I've always understood what Jesus meant. It's not about going into remote jungles along the Amazon or sweating it out in the deserts of Africa. It's not about being a religious expert who can spout a Bible verse to fit every situation. It's not about moral superiority - I can help you because I've already overcome that. I really made the verse much harder than it is!
Jesus simply wants us to live in such a way that others will know Him. We don't have to say a word... in fact, our quiet love might say more than words could.
Imagine the frazzled mom in the grocery store. She screams at her kids while she pulls at her hair in frustration. Most people offer shocked stares and scurry to a different aisle. Why not be Jesus for her? Identify with her where she is. Let her know you've experienced similar moments. Then offer your help -- even if it means setting your own shopping aside for a while so you can entertain the kids and let her think.
No remote jungle. Just a mom in the grocery store, needing support and encouragement. Live differently!
I've felt the "nudge" of the holy spirit telling me to pay for another person's groceries. I admit I haven't always obeyed that nudge. How many times did God open the door for me to start a conversation about Him and I ignored it? The lost opportunity plays in my head:
Me - to the store clerk, "I'll pay for theirs, too."
Astounded shopper, "You don't have to do that."
We go back and forth until finally they ask, "Why?"
My simple reply, "Because Jesus loves you."
No dry desert of sand, but I'm sure I missed opportunities to minister to dry deserts of the heart.
Christians, do the people you encounter know you are different? Does your life reflect the love of Jesus in all you say and do? Or do you, like me, over-complicate it?
Let's make the choice to live the verse simply, every single day. Let's revolutionize the world, one kind act of love at a time.
God bless!
4 comments:
Dear God, please let me be the only other person in the store (and have a huge cartload of groceries) when Karen decides to bless someone. Amen. Okay, just kidding...this is amazing. Not long ago, I WAS that frazzled mom with the kids in rare form. The other woman didn't ignore or look the other way. Instead she sneered, gave the evil and gave out loud, exasperated sighs. Being the the mood I was, I confronted her and told her that I didn't need her sneers and sighs and that if she'd ever been where I was, maybe she could have offered to help. Now I ALWAYS offer to help if I can.
See, people. We really can change the world.
Share your ideas!!! Let's watch for opportunities to spread Jesus' love! :)
Marcy, I'd always help you -- except when I don't see you... like a couple weeks ago. :)
Hi Karen,
Rob here (The atheist)
That reminds me of the time a lady was at a gas station asking the clerk if she could just allow her to get enough gas so she could go home and get her check book and return to fill her tank and pay her back. I noticed that she had 2 kids which I later found out were 2 and 4.
I noticed no one even trying to help her out or acknowledging her. She went outside in tears not knowing what to do. This was the time where gas was over 3 or 4 dollars I cant remember the price at this moment. I asked the clerk if anyone had helped her and she responded very angrily NO! . I have no idea whay she was angry. I guess the lady asking for help angered her. I told her that I would pay for the gas and to turn it on the pump. I went outside and talked to her she said she had forgotten her check book and could not pay for her gas. I told her not to worry that I would fill her tank and pay for the gas.
She was very surprised and thanked me. When I was finished she said that I should give her my address so she could send me a check for the gas. I told her that was not necessary. That instead of doing that next time she sees someone in need like she was to help them out.
Of course this is not the only time I have done something like this. My point is maybe you should give credit to yourself instead of someone else.
Rob,
One thing I have learned in my Christian journey is that when I take the credit, the joy quickly ends. Yes, I feel good in the moment for doing something kind or generous, but then regular life invades again.
When I give God the credit, the joy doesn't wear off. Everything I have comes from God and when I use it for His glory, He pours out blessings on me. Not that I give to get -- it's a heart thing. I give because He prompts me to.
I give in His name and my heart is lighter. I give in His name and blessings happen to me. See my Memorial Box Monday posts which share a lot of those miracles. My favorite one had nothing to do with giving financially. Our son was distraught over a forgotten item at Grandma's. We drove two hours there and back, doubling our trip home. The gas tank never emptied. For more than a week, I drove on blessed gas. That's my God!
Karen
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