As you know, the last several days have been filled with turmoil and people across the country are dealing with issues of faith as they face crises in their lives. I have concerns for friends of mine that are struggling to find God in the midst of all the hurt they are experiencing.
On another front, Janet and I witnessed several baptisms at church this past week-end and I was moved by the number of people who had been influenced for Christ by some simple gesture or act of kindness by a believer. More times than not, it had happened during a sermon or when speaking with a Christ follower who casually mentioned something about their faith. It seems that this little expression of faith was the difference between taking the walk with Christ, or not.
God, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, uses His followers to assist others in their journey to find Christ. Unfortunately, many of us who are already followers lose their interest in communicating our faith to others. In other words, we become complacent and just figure that God will use somebody else to nudge others into the kingdom. Nothing could be further from the truth. While it is true that God’s purpose will be accomplished with or without your help, God wants to use us and has placed us strategically into the lives of others to make sure that we receive the full blessing of being in the center of His will for our lives.
When tragedy strikes some of His flock, God also depends on us to be their for our brethren and to be sympathetic to one another. I can’t even begin to recount the number of times that I have witnessed people being impacted by a kind word or gesture – something that takes them completely by surprise. But so many of us are too busy to be spiritually aware of these opportunities to impact the kingdom.
And I submit to you that the small acts of kindness and discussion during times of trial are just as important to God as being the conduit through which people enter the kingdom. We just don’t seem to be as attentive to those who need our help. For some reason, we figure that since they believe already, there isn’t anything that we can do to walk beside them during the tough times. So next time, take a chance and reach out to help protect the faith of those who are struggling. Because faith can still be a fragile thing and there have been many people who have left the kingdom team as a result of broken faith.
The verse for tonight is from Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” My encouragement this evening is that God is with you and that doesn’t mean only when you are in church. Wherever people are banded together, God is there. My prayer is that you will continue to reach out to the lost, but also remember those who need an extra nudge, or an extra prayer to help they stay the course and fight the advances of Satan. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…