MOG Day 31 – Faith Sharing
The Commissioning of the Disciples (matthew 28)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Last summer I signed up for a half-marathon. I’m a smart person so I can see now that it was mostly due to peer pressure but I haven’t regretted that choice. Signing up for the race forced me to look at my health. What was I putting into my body? How was I staying in shape (or not)?
With that came several changes. First I started running. Then I realized that I wasn’t in shape to run yet, so I began working out at boot camp and then increased my miles each week. And finally I looked at what I was eating. Lots of stuff from boxes and bags. While those may be good things at Christmastime, it is not good for your health. So I started eating things from my fridge. Meat, veggies, and fruit.
After a few weeks, I started to feel great! I had lost several inches off my waist. BUT NO ONE NOTICED!
It took 3 months before people started to really take notice. After 4 months I realized I’d gone from a size 16 to an 8. All of a sudden, everyone wanted to know my secret. People asked what I was eating. How often I was working out. Did I take supplements. etc etc
Faith sharing is not much different from my weight loss story.
When we first start on our journey, we feel amazing! We can’t believe how we lasted so long without realizing the love of God was in our lives! Then we start acting as if the love of God is in our lives. But it takes weeks, months, and sometimes years before other people think to ask us what we are doing that brings such joy to our lives.
I hope that those of you who have been reading and acting upon these Means of Grace have experienced God. I hope that you see where God is working and where you can join Him. But I also hope that others can see that God is making a difference in your life. If you keep purposefully trying to experience God each day, EVENTUALLY PEOPLE WILL NOTICE.
And they’ll ask.
Transformation takes time and repetition.
Faith sharing takes just a moment. I’m not saying you should wait to talk about God only when approached. If your faith is truly part of your DNA, its hard not to talk about God. But I am saying that your actions will speak louder than your words and will back up the words you choose when the time is right.
And I hope you have many “right” times.
Until Everyone Hears,