I grew up in church. From a very early age my mother made me get up and go to Sunday school and church regardless of weather I wanted to or not. She became a follower of Christ in her mid 20's and she would drag my father and I to church every Sunday. I remember her teaching Sunday school. We would meet at her classroom after I got out of my class and I remember seeing her playing with the little kids. She would be teaching them about Noah and his ark and showing them the animals on the little green board, sitting in a chair all scrunched over because it was made for a 5 year old but she didn't care. You could see the love in her eyes for those kids and she loved teaching them about her God and all the miraculous stories of the bible that kids love to hear. I mentioned that she would drag me and my father to church because my father didn't become a follower of Christ until much later in life but he would always make us breakfast on Sunday mornings and he would always be there at my mom's classroom waiting for us to go to "big people church" and hear the preacher speak. The fact that he wasn't a believer in God, didn't really have any desire to pray or go to church but he was always there on Sunday's is really amazing to me. My mother can be a little hot tempered when she gets mad but for the most part she is one of the sweetest women I know. She lives her life, her walk with Christ, with this spirit of giving and love that shows in everything that she does. A lot of people, when they become Christians, want to get plugged into the church and start going all of the time and giving money to the church and all of the things that you are supposed to do and are encouraged to do by God and by the church itself. But if you are married to someone who isn't a follower of Christ, and you become a Christian and they don't; it can cause some serious problems in your relationship. Knowing this now is what makes me look back on my childhood and wonder what my mom did to encourage my father to make it to church every week?
As I was looking up some passages of scripture this morning I came across one that explained the question that I just asked and also confirms the way we should all act around people who are unbelievers. 1 Peter 3:1-6 states -
"In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands, even those who refuse to accept the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won over. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
This passage of scripture is everything that I believe when it comes to winning people over for Christ. If you know me you know that I have been told that I can be "preachy" and I tend to lecture people when I am talking about something important to me or to someone I care about. I will have you know that I am working on that very hard because I know that Nobody wants to be lectured or preached to in most cases. There is a quote I heard a long time ago that says people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care; this is the basis for what I want to conclude with here today. If you have a spouse or brother or friend who isn't a believer the best thing to do is just live your life for Christ. They will notice that you are changing the way you think, the way you act, the things you laugh at, how you spend your money and where you spend your time. You will be putting yourself under the "microscope" if you will, because people tend to be skeptical when someone says that they are going to make a life changing choice that will change everything about them. It's the "new years resolution" syndrome, it is just a phase that will pass is what they might be thinking. That's why it's important for you to get plugged into your church, get around seasoned followers of Christ, get a mentor and learn the ropes because it's not easy making such a huge change in your life and you were not designed to do this alone; that's what the church is for. I believe one of the biggest mistakes a young follower of Christ can make is not read their bible everyday. Habits are hard to start but getting in the habit of waking up early and spending time with God before you start your day has been one of the best choices I have ever made because it has given me so much strength to fight. I have never been a morning person by any stretch of the imagination but I get up early everyday just to spend time reading my bible or whatever "Christian" book I am reading at that time and have some quiet time before the Lord before I start my day. There's something to spending "quiet" time with God before everyone else gets up and starts moving around, before your corner of the world wakes up and all of the hustle and bustle starts up again. Getting your mind right and putting on the "armor" of God before you go out to your daily battle at the office or wherever you go is very important. Even Jesus, the son of God, spent a lot of time praying by himself early in the morning and throughout the day when He felt He needed to recharge. If the son of God thinks having quiet time is important I think I should probably make it a priority as well. Along with getting plugged into your church and getting a mentor, spending daily quiet time with the Lord and reading your bible daily to feed yourself with Gods word I believe it is crucial that you have a strong daily Prayer Life. Prayer is your connection with the God of the Universe , your direct line to your Father in Heaven. Praying is something that you should constantly do throughout the day. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tell us to "pray without Ceasing" which means to have a constant conversation going with God all day long. It's not something that is easy to do because of the fast paced lifestyle that we all live; but it is something that will set you free if you devote yourself to it. I make myself a list every week or 2 and put everything that I want to pray for continually on it so I won't forget. I put every person, thing, problem and event that I want to talk to God about on that list and I set up alarms on my phone to go off throughout the day to remind me to stop what I am doing, grab my list and pray to my Father for the things that have been weighing on my heart. This list that I keep is something that I wish I had been doing all my life because it is so amazing to see God work in your life and with a list you get to go back and Check off the things that you have been praying for as God answeres them however He decides to do that. I get very busy at work so this has worked for me very well and it keeps me in constant contact with God throughout the day, sometimes I just talk to Him all day off and on. Like having an open ended conversation with God, telling Him everything that I am thinking or what problem I am having at work or if my tummy hurts from some bad mexican food; whatever is on my mind. It's just something that I wish I would have been doing a long time ago because it keeps a direct line open to God all day and if anything comes up or happens at work you can talk to God about it right then and there and you are already warmed up and there is no doubt in your mind that He is listening; not that He ever isn't.
My friends, I pray for all of you constantly everyday. There are so many people who are hurting in this world and so many people I know are hurting in one way or another. If you just look around there are so many opportunities to share the Hope that we have in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior with people who are hurting and in need of comfort and love. If there is someone in your life who isn't a follower and believer in Jesus make an investment in their life. Spend extra time talking with them, it doesn't even have to be about God or how big of a sinner they are; just LOVE on them and show them that you truely care about them and for them. Pray for them and if the time is right ask them to pray with you on the spot. Just live your life as a testimony to everyone who sees you that you have Hope and Love in your heart and it comes from having a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. I know that's easier said than done but if you are praying for your friends and family, pray for wisdom and words to say to them and God will use you to help them get through what ever they are going through. God needs people like you and me. He says in Matt 9:36-38,"He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn't know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields." He is looking for someone to work in the field, someone who has the courage to stand up for Him and for the people around them who need the love of God. Won't you be that man or woman that God is calling? That's what friends are for.....
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