Questions
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
Matthew Henry was an English commentator on the Bible and a Presbyterian Minister. When explaining Zechariah 8:23, he said, "true grace hates monopolies." This quote motivated me to take stock of my life and to ask some hard questions:
does my lifestyle make the Gospel attractive to the world?
do my words and actions make people look past me to see Him?
is the reason people follow me because of Christ in me?
does my walk make Christianity seem like something that only a select few can be a part of, or does it reflect the truth that the Gospel is open for everyone to receive?
The questions above are regarding strangers. What about family? I ask myself this question as well: If Ruth was my daughter in law, would she have left behind everything familiar in order to follow me to a strange land, to strange people to follow a God that was not her own? Ruth 1:16 KJV: "And Ruth said, 'Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:" What does my family think of the God I serve? More important, what are their thoughts of me as I serve God? Have they heard that God is with me? Have they seen evidence of Him in my words and actions?
I think of the Samaritan woman. She had one encounter with Jesus and was able to convince a town to come out and hear Him speak. The message was so awesome, she could not keep it to herself. Once they heard Him, many believed! Look at the fruit from ONE outside encounter with Jesus! Imagine what we can do with Him living inside us.
If we are not sharing the Gospel with our words, our lifestyle, our gifts, our talents, or our loving service, then we are treating it like a monopoly. We are treating it as if it only belongs to us, as our exclusive possession, and under our exclusive control. I know that is not our intent, but our honorable intentions don’t mean much if they are not accompanied by action. We should all want 10 people grabbing on to our robes crying out to go with us on our journey with Him.
Father, forgive us for treating the Gospel like it only belongs to us. Your message of salvation is for the World. Lord, help us to live a life in Your Presence so that our words and actions will be attractive to those around us. We pray that Your Presence in us will draw mankind to us that we may share your wonderful message of salvation with them. When they see us, may they see you! When they hear us, may they hear You! As we lay hands, may they feel Your touch! Amen.