Am I afraid of looking like a fool?
"Are they servants of Christ? -- I speak as if insane -- I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death." (2 Cor. 11:23)
Speaking boldly about Jesus Christ can seem insane or foolish to those who are lost and dying, or to those who are "saved" but prove to be ashamed of the Gospel when they fail to speak it in public.
Yesterday my son and I went to the hospital to take tracts to a Sister who has been admitted there for several days. She'd been witnessing to the staff and personnel and was in need of some written information and Scripture to give to them. We dropped off the tracts and headed toward the car because we were on quite a tight schedule with homeschool, of course. In my mind, all I could think of was getting the errands run so we could get back home and get back to the books. Well, Solomon wanted to hand out tracts. My first thought was, "We don't have time..." But, the Lord took hold and closed my mouth before I crushed the Spirit working in my son. I handed him a stack of tracts and off he ran putting them on the windshields of every car in the parking lot. He had one left at the end and asked that I pull through the u-shaped drive in front of the hospital where people congregated to smoke and talk. I pulled up and out he jumped, excited to share the Word of God with someone in need of the Gospel. He said, "Everyone needs Jesus and if they think they don't then they're not saved, right Mom?" Well, he unashamedly and very excitedly walked up to a lady and gentleman and handed them the tract by John Piper entitled, "For your joy". He smiled and said, "Here you go...", turned and walked slowly back to the car, jumped in and turned eagerly to see them reading it as we pulled out of the parking lot.
Praise God for the way the Holy Spirit is working in this 8 year old boy and is bringing conviction upon my heart that I prove to be ashamed of the Gospel much of the time. I am saddened that I don't always set a good example for my son. Shame on me that we go so many places during the course of each week and passing out tracts is rarely on my mind. God is working in Solomon in spite of my neglect, laziness and fear and for that I am thankful. At times I set out to witness and hand out tracts and Bibles, but usually I'm in my own little world of rushing to keep schedules and complete my list of worldly tasks, completely oblivious to the spiritually dead men, women and children all around me. I focus on my minisitry in my home and neglect God's call on me to speak "as if insane", spreading the saving Gospel of Christ to a lost and hell-bent people. I take my salvation for granted, don't I? Am I afraid of looking like a fool in order to spread the gospel? Am I more concerned about what people think of me than about their dying souls?
My soul longs to be unafraid of looking foolish for the cause of Christ, but my flesh hangs on to the world and its opinions. Lord, come and peel my white-knuckled fingers off of the worldly things they cling to and wrap them around your ankles as I bow at Your feet. Open my eyes to see your glory in such magnitude that I'm blinded to the things of this world that seek to pull my attention from You and Your Kingdom purposes. Help me to conduct myself in a "manner worthy of the gospel of Christ". (Philippians 1:27a) Please protect my son from my sin, O Lord! Thank You for working in Solomon and may You save the soul of at least one person who received the gospel as a result of the burden You placed in his heart yesterday afternoon. Thank you for shutting my mouth and please change my heart that I never have thoughts of placing the importance of any worldly thing over the importance of spreading Your Gospel message.
Dear Brother or Sister, please pray for me that I would be always kingdom-minded and that I would always set a Christ-centered example for my child. Please pray for my child as the Lord works in his young heart and grants him a burden for the souls of the lost.
Speaking boldly about Jesus Christ can seem insane or foolish to those who are lost and dying, or to those who are "saved" but prove to be ashamed of the Gospel when they fail to speak it in public.
Yesterday my son and I went to the hospital to take tracts to a Sister who has been admitted there for several days. She'd been witnessing to the staff and personnel and was in need of some written information and Scripture to give to them. We dropped off the tracts and headed toward the car because we were on quite a tight schedule with homeschool, of course. In my mind, all I could think of was getting the errands run so we could get back home and get back to the books. Well, Solomon wanted to hand out tracts. My first thought was, "We don't have time..." But, the Lord took hold and closed my mouth before I crushed the Spirit working in my son. I handed him a stack of tracts and off he ran putting them on the windshields of every car in the parking lot. He had one left at the end and asked that I pull through the u-shaped drive in front of the hospital where people congregated to smoke and talk. I pulled up and out he jumped, excited to share the Word of God with someone in need of the Gospel. He said, "Everyone needs Jesus and if they think they don't then they're not saved, right Mom?" Well, he unashamedly and very excitedly walked up to a lady and gentleman and handed them the tract by John Piper entitled, "For your joy". He smiled and said, "Here you go...", turned and walked slowly back to the car, jumped in and turned eagerly to see them reading it as we pulled out of the parking lot.
Praise God for the way the Holy Spirit is working in this 8 year old boy and is bringing conviction upon my heart that I prove to be ashamed of the Gospel much of the time. I am saddened that I don't always set a good example for my son. Shame on me that we go so many places during the course of each week and passing out tracts is rarely on my mind. God is working in Solomon in spite of my neglect, laziness and fear and for that I am thankful. At times I set out to witness and hand out tracts and Bibles, but usually I'm in my own little world of rushing to keep schedules and complete my list of worldly tasks, completely oblivious to the spiritually dead men, women and children all around me. I focus on my minisitry in my home and neglect God's call on me to speak "as if insane", spreading the saving Gospel of Christ to a lost and hell-bent people. I take my salvation for granted, don't I? Am I afraid of looking like a fool in order to spread the gospel? Am I more concerned about what people think of me than about their dying souls?
My soul longs to be unafraid of looking foolish for the cause of Christ, but my flesh hangs on to the world and its opinions. Lord, come and peel my white-knuckled fingers off of the worldly things they cling to and wrap them around your ankles as I bow at Your feet. Open my eyes to see your glory in such magnitude that I'm blinded to the things of this world that seek to pull my attention from You and Your Kingdom purposes. Help me to conduct myself in a "manner worthy of the gospel of Christ". (Philippians 1:27a) Please protect my son from my sin, O Lord! Thank You for working in Solomon and may You save the soul of at least one person who received the gospel as a result of the burden You placed in his heart yesterday afternoon. Thank you for shutting my mouth and please change my heart that I never have thoughts of placing the importance of any worldly thing over the importance of spreading Your Gospel message.
Dear Brother or Sister, please pray for me that I would be always kingdom-minded and that I would always set a Christ-centered example for my child. Please pray for my child as the Lord works in his young heart and grants him a burden for the souls of the lost.
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