Shine
So, I'm just sitting around at home and I thought to myself: self, you should update the blog. So this is the result.
I think about life a lot. My mind is all over the place nearly all the time. Lately I've been thinking a lot about how my life can impact others. I had been praying that God would give me an opportunity to share my faith with others. Now when I say "others" I don't mean just your everyday person who doesn't know Jesus. See, cuz for me, I want to reach people who are in the darkness, the people who haven't seen the Light in a long time, or ever. It's been something God's been constantly pushing me to do. So anyway, I was praying, right, like I always do and I wasn't really expecting much from God. I mean, I knew he'd answer my prayers, but I thought, you know, it would be the normal "talk to someone you don't know" kind of deal. Boy was I shocked, but extremely honored, to receive what He gave me, cuz it was awesome! Recently, I was invited to a Halloween Party. Now, when I think of "party" I think of a time where people gather around, talk, have some food, maybe play some games, rock out to music, that sort of thing. But there are other people who think the word "party" is another excuse to zap some brain cells by getting drunk and throw up. I was invited to the latter.
What really disappoints me sometimes looking at the Church is the fact that we are afraid to take a risk of stepping into the places where sinners are. I've been to churches, had Christian friends, and know that there are pastors out there who would discourage Christians from attending such an event. The way I see it, we can't expect the lost, the sinners, the world to come to us. We have to take the gospel to the streets. In fact, the more I look at the gospels, the more I see Jesus going to places like that. Heck, he talked to a Samaritan woman who had 5 husbands. Mary Magdalene, a woman who was demon possessed, became a very important figure in the gospels and was one of the first to see the risen Lord. Matthew, one of the 12, was a despised tax collector. He healed lepers, outcasts of society. The list goes on and on and on and on. The point is we as Christians need to go to the places of darkness and shine our lights. What's interesting about light is that when a light enters a dark place, it lights up the entire room.
So I'm going to this Halloween party, knowing that there's going to be people drunk, knowing that there will be people there far from Christ, but I go with the Lord, and that's all I need to know.
My prayer for you is that you would step up and reach out to someone who doesn't know Jesus and share your story with him or her. And if you're reading this and don't know Jesus, let me say this: You have a savior who loves you more than any person on this earth and He died on an old rugged cross so that you may be set free from the things that tie you down. But He didn't just die. He rose again 3 days later to show that His power can conquer even death. May you know Him. His love was so deep in that while we were still sinners, He died for us. May you know that truth in your heart.
I love you guys.
-David
I think about life a lot. My mind is all over the place nearly all the time. Lately I've been thinking a lot about how my life can impact others. I had been praying that God would give me an opportunity to share my faith with others. Now when I say "others" I don't mean just your everyday person who doesn't know Jesus. See, cuz for me, I want to reach people who are in the darkness, the people who haven't seen the Light in a long time, or ever. It's been something God's been constantly pushing me to do. So anyway, I was praying, right, like I always do and I wasn't really expecting much from God. I mean, I knew he'd answer my prayers, but I thought, you know, it would be the normal "talk to someone you don't know" kind of deal. Boy was I shocked, but extremely honored, to receive what He gave me, cuz it was awesome! Recently, I was invited to a Halloween Party. Now, when I think of "party" I think of a time where people gather around, talk, have some food, maybe play some games, rock out to music, that sort of thing. But there are other people who think the word "party" is another excuse to zap some brain cells by getting drunk and throw up. I was invited to the latter.
What really disappoints me sometimes looking at the Church is the fact that we are afraid to take a risk of stepping into the places where sinners are. I've been to churches, had Christian friends, and know that there are pastors out there who would discourage Christians from attending such an event. The way I see it, we can't expect the lost, the sinners, the world to come to us. We have to take the gospel to the streets. In fact, the more I look at the gospels, the more I see Jesus going to places like that. Heck, he talked to a Samaritan woman who had 5 husbands. Mary Magdalene, a woman who was demon possessed, became a very important figure in the gospels and was one of the first to see the risen Lord. Matthew, one of the 12, was a despised tax collector. He healed lepers, outcasts of society. The list goes on and on and on and on. The point is we as Christians need to go to the places of darkness and shine our lights. What's interesting about light is that when a light enters a dark place, it lights up the entire room.
So I'm going to this Halloween party, knowing that there's going to be people drunk, knowing that there will be people there far from Christ, but I go with the Lord, and that's all I need to know.
My prayer for you is that you would step up and reach out to someone who doesn't know Jesus and share your story with him or her. And if you're reading this and don't know Jesus, let me say this: You have a savior who loves you more than any person on this earth and He died on an old rugged cross so that you may be set free from the things that tie you down. But He didn't just die. He rose again 3 days later to show that His power can conquer even death. May you know Him. His love was so deep in that while we were still sinners, He died for us. May you know that truth in your heart.
I love you guys.
-David
May your stories bring encouragement and you continue to shine your light in the most common places. I imagine you will not have to wait for the party to have the opportunity.
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ReplyDeletethis is tooo coincidental. i was sad that you didn't come to starbucks, but the fact that this blog came out of it makes me glad. next time i see you, we def have to talk!
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