You've Got Something to Say!

Have you ever been sitting in church, listening to the sermon, when "bam," a statement hits you? This happens regularly for me, but there are those times when something will really stand out.

My hubby was preaching about life with no regrets and arrived at his final point, when he hit me with the statement. Here it is:

God wants to speak to the world through you.

Seems innocent enough, right? And, you might even think that I would know this about myself, since I'm a Christian writer. But, I actually feel that this was a nudge for a specific project God has been putting on my heart.

But, have you considered this about yourself? God wants to use you to communicate to the people around you, your world. What is totally fascinating to me is that He uses us in our uniqueness to speak to others about Him in our own distinctive way.

In the scheme of things, is my little voice really going to make a difference?

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Cor. 15:58 NIV

The answer to whether our voices make a difference is yes. The verse above informs us that our work for the Lord is not in vain. Your unique way to "speak" to the world is not wasted.

 Are you like me, and feel so inadequate for the task?

"If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us." 2 Cor. 4 The Message

Alone, we would be inadequate to speak to the world about God, but we have His power inside of us in the form of the Holy Spirit.

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." 2 Cor. 5:20a. NIV

See? We are His ambassadors. He speaks to the world through us.

Sometimes fear can keep us from speaking when we should. We may feel unprepared or just not qualified.

"Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Eph. 5:15-16 NIV

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15a

We must live wisely, taking in the wisdom from God's Word. This will better prepare us to speak when needed. Our world is filled with so much evil and people living in contradiction to God's way. Because of this, we must always take advantage of speaking or acting when we are given the opportunity. We should be prepared to share why we're different than the world.

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, we have something to say to the world. Some are dying to hear it. Let's not shrink back from this responsibility but embrace it.

Compared with all the things said in the world, we have something to say that changes eternities. Speak up in your own unique way and in your own calling from the Lord. You've got something to say!  

Do we even look different?

Recently I witnessed Christians talking about some other church members and putting them down behind their backs. Now, I won't take on a piousness or holier than thou attitude and say I have never done this. But, I'm worried when we do this kind of thing that non-Christians might overhear and decide they want nothing to do with Christianity if it means we act like this.

James 3:9-10 says "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be."

This verse always gives me pause. The writer of James is right. I shouldn't speak against my fellow Christians and then use the same mouth to praise God. This is hypocrisy.

We are called to look and act differently than the world. We are called to be holy. That means separate, set apart.

John exhorts us to love one another with that love that comes from God. This kind of love is different than the love we see portrayed on the movie screen or on our TV. God's love is a perfect love. It was such a perfect and unconditional love that He gave up His Son, proving it.

We are called to love one another in this manner, being willing to lay our life down. This doesn't always mean giving up our lives as in being killed like Jesus. This might mean laying down our agenda. It could mean laying down our opinion. It might mean jumping in and helping instead of criticizing how another does something. It could mean standing up for someone when he or she is being talked about behind his or her back.

This type of love for our fellow Christians can be hard to do. But this is our calling from God. We are to show God's love. We often think this command is for the world - we are to love people so we can love them to God. But, much is said in God's Word about loving those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. He must have known we were going to struggle with this.

In a day like now in which we see so much hate, Christians must show the love of the Father which He has granted and put inside of us. How much more so should we love and cherish those Christian brothers and sisters who are on this journey with us?

Let's look and act differently. Let's show love to each other and it will easily flow to those others outside the family of God.

Our church should feel like a safe place where we can learn and grow together without fear of ridicule and being talked about in a bad light. We should sense God's love flowing through us and to us.

"They will know we are Christians by our love." Do we give evidence?

What you can't see may help you!

Recently my Bible reading has been about some of the escapades of Elisha, the prophet.

Second Kings the sixth chapter begins yet another story of Elisha and his servant. It seems the king of Aram's plans were always known to the king of Israel. So much so that he asks his own officers who was on the side of the king of Israel, letting him in on the plans of the Arameans.

"'None of us, my lord the king,' said one of his officers, 'but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.'"

Don't you love it? The wording here just makes me chuckle. God allowed Elisha to know the most secretive plans of the king of Aram. The king orders his men to hunt down Elisha so he can capture him. The prophet is located and the king sends horses, chariots, and a strong force there by night to surround the city.

"When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots surrounded the city. 'Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?' the servant asked. 'Don't be afraid,' the prophet answered. 'Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' And Elisha prayed, 'Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.' Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

Elisha's servant was so filled with fear that he was blinded to the truth. God had his own army there for his prophet.

I can't criticize Elisha's servant. I've been there so often, letting myself be overwhelmed by my fears. Feeling defeat before I've even remembered that I have God on my side.

Makes me thinks of a verse in First John the fourth chapter which says that we should remember that the One who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world.

Just because I can't see how my awful circumstance is going to work out, doesn't mean that God isn't working all around me. God is greater than anything, and He's on my side. Pretty good odds!

Are you in a tight spot and feeling defeated? Ask God to give you just a glimpse to bolster your faith. He may not show you chariots of fire, but He may grant you a peace that only God could supply.