“But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” – Acts 1:8
I was talking with a painter and his son some time back. Our conversation drifted from what had to be done in the house, to more personal matters … who we are, why we are what we are. I feel strongly that God has these men helping us for His purpose and not just for the money they will receive.
As I shared a little about my past and why I was in Texas, the young man smiled and said that what I was doing was a great thing. When the world gives us credit for our acts of service, we are at a critical point. If all I do is impress those men with my service and fail to communicate for whom it is that I serve and why, I have failed in my mission.
All the world can see is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in us. Selfless acts extended toward others. Recognition of what we do is good, but is hollow and vain without the Gospel at their center.
You can impress people with the “whats” in your life but fail in your mission if you do not tell people about the “whys”. Why you do what you do.
“We love because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19
If you are living by faith and in submission to the Holy Spirit, then people will see Jesus in you. But you must tell them Who it is they see. You must be His witness. Don’t rob God by taking credit for what He has done and is doing. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, not to absorb the glory as our own.
Paul said, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
If people are not drawn to Jesus, but to you, then you have missed the point of your encounter with them. Be careful that you don’t neglect the Gospel, your primary mission in your new life, in favor of people being impressed with who you are or what you do. Every bit of that is for the glory of God, not your personal glory. Resist the temptation to like these men. Instead glorify God and lift Jesus up.
"Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” – John 12:42-43
Resist the temptation to like these men. Instead glorify God and lift Jesus up. Fulfill your purpose and your calling.
I was talking with a painter and his son some time back. Our conversation drifted from what had to be done in the house, to more personal matters … who we are, why we are what we are. I feel strongly that God has these men helping us for His purpose and not just for the money they will receive.
As I shared a little about my past and why I was in Texas, the young man smiled and said that what I was doing was a great thing. When the world gives us credit for our acts of service, we are at a critical point. If all I do is impress those men with my service and fail to communicate for whom it is that I serve and why, I have failed in my mission.
All the world can see is the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in us. Selfless acts extended toward others. Recognition of what we do is good, but is hollow and vain without the Gospel at their center.
You can impress people with the “whats” in your life but fail in your mission if you do not tell people about the “whys”. Why you do what you do.
“We love because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19
If you are living by faith and in submission to the Holy Spirit, then people will see Jesus in you. But you must tell them Who it is they see. You must be His witness. Don’t rob God by taking credit for what He has done and is doing. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, not to absorb the glory as our own.
Paul said, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
If people are not drawn to Jesus, but to you, then you have missed the point of your encounter with them. Be careful that you don’t neglect the Gospel, your primary mission in your new life, in favor of people being impressed with who you are or what you do. Every bit of that is for the glory of God, not your personal glory. Resist the temptation to like these men. Instead glorify God and lift Jesus up.
"Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” – John 12:42-43
Resist the temptation to like these men. Instead glorify God and lift Jesus up. Fulfill your purpose and your calling.
No comments:
Post a Comment