Tell it like it is

I have never been a "tell it like it is" kind of person.  In fact, I've been pretty passive all of my life.  I grew up in a church that frequently had well known evangelists and ministers from all over.  If you've ever met an evangelist, you know they tell it like it is.  You need Jesus, period.  This often intimidated me.  They seemed to be so bold and powerful, like they could lead anyone to the Lord, even the fly on the wall.  When our church would go out to hand out tracts, I would try to team up with some of the boldest people I knew.  These people were not shy with words,and knew how to lead people to the Lord.  I didn't know what to say or how to act around people who look at you and seem to see exactly what you are thinking.

Well, last night I had a dream.  It woke me up at 2:30 and I couldn't get back to sleep.  There was a scared, lost little girl, and a lost dog who was shaking.  People were passing all around and not even noticing the fear and anxiety in their faces.  As I passed, I heard the Lord say "stop, NOTICE her."  So, I looked more closely and she had a collar on her neck, similar to the dog collar, but it was pretty.  Her tags read "if lost, call..."  

Instantly, I woke up.  I felt God leading me to write about this immediately, so I turned on my phone and jotted down the details so I would be able to write more when my eyes cleared up from the middle of the night blur.  I believe God was showing me that we are all called to be ambassadors for Him.  I know this is a common point preached over and over, but it was a dream that made it stand out to me.  

How many times do we pass people in life, never noticing their anxious faces.  Never noticing that they are lost and need to be found.  They need Jesus.  This pierced my heart last night.  What simple things could I do to share God's great love for people?  I know many lost and hurting people, but I have been too timid to share Christ's redeeming love.  There are so many simple, yet profound things I can do to share God's love, and perhaps lead them to Christ.  

The Great Commission came from Jesus in Matthew 28.  In verse 19 he clearly commands his disciples (which would be us today) "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."  This is our purpose, no matter what our gifts or talents are, no matter what our personality traits are.  It may not always come out like an evangelist, pastor, teacher, apostle, or other minister.  For most of us, it will just come out in the way of inviting someone for coffee and to share a bit of your testimony.  It may look like you bringing dinner to someone going through a hard time.  I personally have a few people in my life that need a savior, and no one has reached out to them in any way, practically or spiritually.  I believe those are open doors for us to bring them a meal and just say "God cares about what you are going through".  

I believe this is why God gave me my One Word, Passionate, for 2013.  I can say without a doubt that this one area of my life is one that I am least passionate about, but it is the one area that God has called all of us to be most passionate about.  Pray with me, that we will be a more passionate people about showing others the way to Him.  

If you happened upon this blog, and don't know Jesus, let me invite you to find out more about him.  Jesus is the son of God.  He was God in flesh, come to earth as a man to seek and save the lost.  He was the ultimate sacrifice, taking our sin upon him so we might find grace and salvation.  God's grace has been given to us.  Jesus has covered our sins and failures with his blood.  All we have to do is believe on Him, and ask Him to be our Lord and Savior.  

The bible says everyone needs salvation because we have all sinned.  Romans 3:10 "there is no one righteous, not even one."  Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  God has provided a way for us:  Romans 5:8 "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  And how we receive salvation:  Romans 10:9-10 "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

Invite him to come into your life today.  He's ready and waiting for you.