shine the light

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you know, in some sort or fashion, that you are called to be a witness for Him. It is kind of a daunting task for most believers because who are we to tell others about their need to know Jesus. We feel so inadequate to do it—lack of knowledge, fear of rejection, mocking, or even our own failings as a Christian. It is the one thing we try not to think about because we just don’t know where to start or we don’t want to be thought of as weird.

I think our fears and hesitancy come from many misconceptions concerning being a witness. You don’t have to know evangelism schemes or be a Bible scholar, you just need to help someone see Jesus in you. Some times it is as non-threatening as asking someone at work who is facing a crisis if she would like you to add her or someone else’s need to the prayer list at church. Other times it can be hard such as with those you have already established some kind of relationship and they are engaging in destructive behavior. Asking them if they ever thought about turning their problem over to God and seeking His help can strain a relationship, but if you love them you will and if you have invested in the relationship you have earned the right to do so.

Our biggest hang-up to sharing our faith is that we feel so unworthy because we are flawed and imperfect people. We feel hypocritical sharing our faith. But if you are a follower of Jesus Christ they already know it. Sometimes our failures offer us the best times to witness. In service tomorrow I am going to talk about the habit of humility and the ability it gives us to say, “I blew it.” “I am sorry.” "Please forgive me.” These three words enable relationships to grow and be successful. When we fail before others and act in an unbecoming way, how we handle it will speak volumes about our faith and how Jesus impacts our lives. People are not really looking for us to be perfect, just real. So, let your light shine even in your failures.