Look and leap

Yesterday I picked up a few things from the store and the young lady who was clerking was chatting a mile a minute. She had an unusual name and, being one who studies words, I asked her (between her breaths) what her name meant. She looked at me quizzically and said “You know, I’m not sure?”  So not to miss a beat with her talking she said, “I guess it means ‘girl who likes to speak sarcastically’ !”  Then she laughed and quickly said “But I know there is a time to be serious too”.  That was my opening !  I gave her a tract and told her that yes indeed there are times to be serious and I would like to give her something very serious to consider, the gospel message !! I told her I was a pastor and that God is very concerned about her.  She just looked at me, smiled and said “Aww, thank you !”

The privilege of sowing a seed for God’s kingdom is indeed a precious one. Lord willing, if I or another soul conscious Christian continues to water that seed by His grace, hopefully in time she will come to Christ. But we must “look for the opening” and when we see it, we must seize it.  Trouble is, we often are blinded by our own cares and concerns of each day to see these spiritual opportunities all around us but if we do, we then can fail to seize upon them.

A casual reading of the book of Acts shows that by and large the early disciples were taking seriously their opportunities to win souls to the Lord: but not at first !!  Think about what Jesus said here if you were a disciple then, “. . .ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).    Our reaction may very easily have been, “Jerusalem?  But that’s just where they killed the Lord !     And Samaria? Those people hate us !    The uttermost part of the earth? People outside here hate us, they are so different, they wouldn’t possibly listen !!   Oh the excuses were probably legion and the fear to take the gospel, the same as we feel too.  But the part I omitted from the above verse is what they found to be their key in moving from timidity to triumph:  “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. . . ”        I submit to you that your fears are no different than theirs in the first century but so too is what is needed to overcome those fears. We have the same Spirit residing in us once we are saved.  Thus we have the same ability or “power” (the word for that is where we get dynamite from !) to do the same ministry and see the same fantastic results, souls being born again !!

There were many times the apostles, great soul winners that they were, would ask others to pray for them that they might have the boldness needed to speak the Word as they ought.  Often that’s the missing component with us.  As a Christian, you may very well agree that the spread of the gospel is not just for the foreign missionary but you too, but when the opportunity presents itself its just easier to not say anything.  Next time that privilege to share the King’s Word comes, quickly ask for His power to give it, but also live under that power regularly as you walk in obedience to Him !  You might be surprised what can then be done for Him. Look for those “chance meetings” and then leap !!

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *