I Will Live By This

From August 15, 2011

I will live by this.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

And this:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 1:8

We can be doing everything “right”, treating everybody “right”, living the “holiest” of lives, but if we aren’t sharing this transforming love of Jesus that we’ve been so blessed to experience, then what’s the point?  We might as well already be in heaven.

But we’re still here.  Because we’ve gotta be selfless.  We’ve experienced the amazing Salvation of Jesus Christ - so with love, we’ve gotta share it with as many people as possible.  What is life but showing and sharing the love of Christ Jesus?

And people get so touchy about it nowadays - so afraid to cross a line, to “shove” it down a person’s throat.  And no, I don’t think holding up picket signs proclaiming eternal damnation is the way to go about things - I see a distinct lack of love and personal touch in something like that.  But when you really like a song, a movie, or anything like that, do we not recommend it to our friends?  So why would our faith be any different?  I’ve seen the wonders it’s done in my life - I want to share that with as many people as I can.

I’m not afraid of crossing lines or rejection.  I also don’t want to drive anyone away with abrasiveness and haughtiness.  I just know there’s no love like that of Jesus Christ’s.  So humbly and with love, I am going to do all that I can to live out the commission Jesus gave to the disciples before His ascension.  Because that’s what makes sense to me.  Helping people and sharing the Gospel.

Because at the end of the day, this is a matter of life and death.  So God please help me to be a true steward of Yours, so that I may share your love in every way I can, so that people may come to know You like I have.

Moving out to California in 12 days, those verses up there are some of the ones I’m going to keep particularly close to my heart.  Yes, I’m going out there to pursue a dream I’ve had for six years, but mainly, I’m going out there to live a mission.  To do the work of God and make some sort of tangible difference in the industry I’m getting into.  And I have to set my perspective straight - this isn’t about fame, fortune, accolades, or any other measure of worldly success.  It’s about taking these talents I’ve been blessed with and using them to share this amazing love I’ve come to know.  This is about following God’s will, helping people, and glorifying Him.  That’s all this has to be about.