You Were Created to Be God’s Messenger
When it comes to getting our life-changing, society-impacting message out to the world, we must have the same mentality. Every one of us needs to use every means at our disposal everywhere we go, every day.
What then would the Lord have you do? Where is your specific area of gifting? What is your circle of influence? How can you make a positive impact while you have breath, be it large or small? How can you help get the message out?
The light of one candle might not be that bright. But the light of tens of millions of candles cannot be ignored. It is high time we let our lights shine—and that means your light and my light. Each of us must do our part.
Jesus taught that “the kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough” (Matt. 13:33). How does the godly “yeast” of the gospel work its way through our society?
We must keep our own batteries charged. As Jesus said, “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning” (Luke 12:35). The simple truth is that we cannot give what we do not have, and we cannot bring others into something we are not experiencing. That’s why it is so essential that we remain intimate with the Lord, not putting people under the yoke of religious tradition or imposing our moral standards on them. Instead, as people who radiate the life and love of Jesus, we attract people to His light.
No matter how grieved we might be by the deadly effects of sin, we must never forget that we are not called to be the morality police, patrolling our neighborhoods in search of anyone who violates our righteous rules. But if we do not walk in our first love for Jesus, which in turn produces a deep love for others, we can quickly degenerate into a bunch of self-righteous morality enforcers. This will only drive people away from our God rather than draw them to Him, repelling the very people we want to reach.
Paul wrote that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). This is the exact opposite of being mean-spirited, angry, judgmental, sour-faced, and gloomy. In God’s presence is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11), and the joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10). Paul actually commanded us to be joyful, writing, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near” (Phil. 4:4–5; remember that he wrote these words from a prison in Rome). And despite the many hardships he endured and the heavy burdens he carried, he described himself as “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10). What an example for each of us!
But we can only do this by focusing on the Lord, spending quality time with Him, and renewing our own hearts and minds. Rejoice! He is good! He is beautiful! He gives life! He forgives! He transforms! That’s our Savior! That’s our God! And we are His representatives here on earth, introducing Him to others and “selling” His “product,” so to speak.
Are we offering stale bread to the world or the Bread of Life? Are we preaching a system of rules and regulations or bringing people into a life-transforming divine encounter? Do people who listen to our message and watch our lives conclude that God is love? Or do they conclude that He is a grouchy, never-satisfied deity who hates everyone and delights in their demise?
To learn more about Michael Brown’s ‘Turn the Tide,’ visit MyCharismaShop.com