First of all, I wanna say I'm sorry that it's been so long since I last posted. The good news is- I have a lot of really great ideas for future posts. The bad news is- I may be a little rusty. :) Anyways, looking back through all the posts I've written, I've realized that I left out something vital to the blog- Why I was taking the time to write these..Why, whoever you are, why you continue to click on these links, Why you share what I have to say- Why this is important.
Before I go on, I want to reiterate to everyone that my goal for this blog isn't so you all think I'm a holier than thou..I am NO WHERE near perfect. I'm a sinner. I sin often. I make so many mistakes and I'm so thankful that I have a God that looks past those mistakes. I do, however, sincerely believe that God is working in my heart. I believe that He lives within me and urges me to share His unending mercy and grace with you- so that you may feel what I feel one day, if you don't already.
How many of you reading this, know someone who doesn't truly know Jesus? Most of us know a handful of people who go to church to say they went on a Sunday morning, they feel like it's a chore..not a blessing. Those same people are the ones who live life routinely, missing out on the small and most intricate beauties of our lives and this world. Missing out on miracles that happen every single day, like the birth of a child. Now lets pause and reflect on that for a moment, if that's you..I'd like for you to sincerely work on yourself and build yourself to be the person that God created you to be. If you feel like that isn't you, I'd like to propose a challenge. I heard about this challenge a few years ago through my best friend, Kristen, at her church. She said that their goal was to find just one person and introduce them to Jesus. Not the Jesus that society knows, the Jesus that lives and breathes inside of His believers. The Jesus that loves you exactly where you are and how you are. The Jesus that died, that hung on the cross so that sinners like us don't have to carry the weight of who we are.
I recently started the one challenge, without realizing I had, with one of my teammates and one of my closest friends. Because I was not attending St. Catharine at the time- I had heard that she was going through what most of us would call being lost..to me, she had hit rock bottom. After many late night heart to hearts, we agreed to take on the 40 day challenge in the book The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I promised that if she wouldn't stop, I would try my best to answer all of the questions she could throw at me, even though I wouldn't always have the best answer. It took about two weeks for us to get out of The Purpose Driven Life routine until the questions got more serious..something that only the Bible could hold the answers to. Now, a month and a half later, the kid who hit rock bottom..is on fire for Jesus Christ. Making a public commitment to be faithful and just in her love for Jesus and soon setting a date for Baptism. I have never felt like I was a part of something greater than I have by leading someone that I truly care for, to a life of eternity. I was so extremely blessed she had such an open and honest heart when learning, and sincerely caring in what Jesus has in store for her.
I NEED you to know that it won't always be that easy, in fact..it might not ever be that easy. The task that this post presents is by no means a walk in the park. There will be questions you do not know the answer to, there will be days that you feel like you're on to something amazing and there will be times when you want to give up- don't. Hang on, pray that God will give you the strength to win their heart for Him.
I could go on and on about why this is important-but I know a book that makes it all pretty darn clear. Let's start in one of my favorite books, James. James 5:19-20 says,
"My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring them back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the way of error will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins."
And here comes that big bang..
Proverbs 8:35-36 says,
"For those who find me, find life and receive favor from the Lord. But those who fail to find me, harm themselves; all who hate me, love death."
Take this challenge. Learn that the easiest way to bring people to Christ is through being an example, showing loving-kindness and patience. Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19). We all say we wanna change the world, but we have to take it day by day. One at a time. Don't miss this.
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