One of the greatest advantages of being a follower of Christ, is sharing His Word with everyone. He is the Word. Sharing Him and His love with the people you encounter every day, is a blessing in and of itself. God chose you. God chose you knowing that you have what it takes to do good works for the sake of His name. Think about that. He knows you have what it takes to be a vessel for Him, His Word, and His abounding love.
I
truly do believe that our purpose on this earth is to shine light on Jesus and His Kingdom. Whether it is birthing or leading your own
ministry, completing mission work, spreading kindness to those who
need it, or just simply following the path God has laid out for you—make sure it is all to shine light on the Almighty.
“So,
whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the
glory of God.” (1
Corinthians 10:31 NRSV)
It
is one thing to say
that
you will be a light, but it is completely
different
when you actually go out into the world, and boldly
proclaim the Word of Jesus. Are you witnessing to the person sitting
next to you on the train? In school? At work? Now
remember, you don’t
have to be shouting Scripture from the top of the rooftops to be a
light to people. It can be through your every day actions. Simply
being happy and joyful, can be a witness to people.
As
a child of God, it is your
job to be His voice. It is your
job
to speak for Him. And not only speak for Him, but speak
for Him proudly. Speak
for Him boldly. Fearlessly. Courageously. Valiantly. Eagerly. And
never stop.
“Proclaiming
the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all
boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:31 NRSV)
But
remember, nobody said taking on this task would be easy, because it
will not be. You are going to get teased for it. You are going to be ridiculed
for it, and you are going to be persecuted for it. However, it comes
with the job. You just need to remind yourself that a person’s
opinion is not the opinion that matters. God’s
opinion is the one that matters. And His opinion is good. He will
reward you for all the work you are doing on this earth. When you are
sitting with Him face to face one day, He will call you by name, and
He will make sure to let you know just how proud He is of you.
“Rejoice
and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:12 NRSV)
It
is hard to do, but being bold about your faith and sharing it with
others is a part of taking up your cross and following Jesus. While
you will
have your ups and downs on your journey sharing His Word, it is
important to have an unlimited amount of faith. This faith will help
you along and remind you that everything you are sharing is so real
and so powerful, that it could change someone’s
life.
Be
bold. Be brave. Be daring. Never let anyone’s
negative comments bring you down and stop God’s
plan for you. Keep pushing through.
“If
the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you.” (John 15:18 NRSV)
“If
any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up
their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24 NRSV)
When
you do get knocked down and encounter some kind of obstacle, pray
about it. The Lord will reassure you that you are on the right path.
It
took me a bit to get used to witnessing when I was starting out in my
faith. I worried so much about what people would think about me and
how it would affect my future. But God has started a fire in me to
never stop sharing His Word with people. The flame continues to grow
day by day. It is something that I can not fully explain, but I know
that, thanks to God, I have a demeanor of boldness and fearlessness
within me that nobody can change. And while I may have lost friends
over it and been made fun of for it, I have had various people
approach me and tell me that my confidence and pride I take in Christ
and His Word, has helped them and inspired them.
Blessings,
like the ones I have received, can be given to you, too. It is not
all
bad. When
you have someone credit you for your work or tell you that you have had an impact on them, that is God talking to you and letting you
know that He is aware of what you’re
doing, and that He could not be any more proud.
We
are all vessels. We are His Voice. His Children. As you take up your
cross and set out on your personal journey with Jesus, I highly
encourage you to speak out for Him. Be bold for Him. He loves you. He
has chosen you to be a voice for Him. Use that voice wisely and be
bold about it. You are a warrior protected with the armor of God.
Nothing
can stop you.
“Therefore
take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand
on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand
therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist,and put on
the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on
whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With
all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able
to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17 NRSV)
God
believes in you and is waiting for you at the finish line. Keep
going. You’ve
already won the race.
“Fight
the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which
you were called and for which you made the good confession in the
presence of many witnesses.” (1
Timothy 6:12 NRSV)