Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of
the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all
nations, and then the end will come.”
Recently, we watched another
episode of Inexplicable. It is series
about the spread of Christianity around the world, and the men and women who
boldly preached the gospel. There is a theme among these devout Disciples of
Christ, and that is how they were fully committed to Him. They did
not give excuses for not wanting to act when given the opportunity, nor did
they let anything get in their way. They all walked in complete faith, even
unto being martyred. Oftentimes these people not only gave up temporal comforts,
but were also trailblazers who would go to the ends of the earth to tell others
about Jesus. Hearing these stories is encouraging, challenging, and terrifying
to me. I have to ask myself: if I was led by God to give up everything and share
the gospel in a foreign land, could I do it? Could I even boldly cross the
street in my own neighborhood to do so?
As I have stated before, I
believe sharing the Good News of God’s Word is both a common and most critical purpose
of every believer. We are commanded to do so. If I had my mind set on eternity
even 50% of the time, I would be compelled to share this truth with everyone I
came in contact with. I would ask God to keep me mindful of this in all the
tasks of my everyday life. Alas, I become distracted and focused on the external
instead of the internal. I am concerned with the temporal instead of the
eternal. I feel ill-equipped and uncomfortable. I do not want to offend anyone.
(Pause…) Glancing over this paragraph, it is clear the reason why being bold about
Jesus seems to be a problem for me: The word “I” is in this paragraph 10 times alone.
Obviously, yours truly has an “I” problem. Philippians 2:21 “For they seek
their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.”
Dying to self is an ongoing process
for sure. Me decreasing and Christ increasing is the only way for me to see His
plan for my life, and gain strength for the journey through His power. Time for
me to make an extended daily appointment with the only one Who can heal me from
my “I’ problem. My prayer is to one day be fully committed.
I am as always, a work in
progress.
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