In our daily meditations over the last few days, we have discussed Jesus commissioning His disciples to share the good news of the Gospel with the whole world. The Lord relies on us to spread the message of salvation and make disciples of all nations. We must approach those to whom we share the message of life with compassion and love. Avoid a pushy attitude; instead, be gentle and kind with each person you share the good news of Jesus with. An old Christian song says, "You're the only Jesus some will ever see," so we must be good representatives of the Lord. The Body of Christ resembles a many-faceted diamond. What makes the diamond shine and beautiful is the light. We are like diamonds through which God wants to illuminate His light. We trust in the power of His truth, His light, and His love.
Even if you feel your words falter and you are inadequate, people will sense the love of God in you and respond to His Word in some way. If someone does not respond positively, you may not know what God is doing within that person. Many individuals struggle internally before ultimately deciding to turn from serving themselves and come to Christ. It's beneficial to break down a person's self-protective defenses with the love of God. Some find it difficult to accept that God loves them because they grapple with guilt and feelings of unworthiness. The enemy, Satan, plants the thought in their minds that if there is a God, how could He ever love them? We must care for others as if they were our own children. There is a story about an American family’s son returning home from the Vietnam War that illustrates this thought:
The phone rang in a high-society Boston home. On the line was a son who had just returned from the Vietnam War and was calling from California. His parents were part of the cocktail circuit—drinking, wife-swapping, gambling, and all the other things that go with it. The boy said to his mother, "I just called to tell you I wanted to bring a buddy home with me." His mother said, "Bring him home for a few days." But, mother, you need to know something about this boy. One leg is gone, one arm is gone, one eye is gone, and his face is quite disfigured. Is it all right if I bring him home?" His mother said, "Bring him home for a few days." The son said, "You didn't understand me, mother. I want to bring him home to live with us." The mother began making excuses about the embarrassment and what people would think, and the phone clicked. A few hours later, the police called from California to Boston. The mother picked up the phone again. The police sergeant at the other end said, "We just found a boy with one arm, one leg, one eye, and a mangled face, who has just killed himself with a shot to the head. The identification papers on the body say he is your son.[1]
Treat everyone you speak to as if they were your son or daughter. If the person is a stranger to you, they are someone's loved one, probably being prayed for by their family. “Cast your bread upon the waters, and after many days it will return to you (Ecclesiastes 11:1 KJV). What does that verse seem to say? When we give from our spiritual abundance, do not be surprised when it comes back to you—"Give and it shall be given to you, pressed down, packed together, running over, shall be heaped back to you" (Luke 6:38). When we share the Word of God with others, it seems to return to us in some way, touching our lives. You cannot out-give God. Keith Thomas
Explore our YouTube video lessons, many of which include closed captions (subtitles) in 60-70 languages. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/@keiththomas7/videos
[1]Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations and Quotes, published by Thomas Nelson, Page 109.