HOW IS YOUR LIFE IMPACTING THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW THE LORD?

SCRIPTURE:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has 
anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to 
bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives 
and release from darkness for the prisoners.  
(Isaiah 61:1)

MEDITATION:
Why would God offer mankind His free gift of salvation?
Obviously, He loves us and does not want anyone to perish.
So, the next question is, “What are we to do when we receive His salvation?”
Do you think that God has no expectations of those who are saved?
Would He want us to say, “Thanks”, 
and continue to pursue our own selfish desires?
Of course not!

When we are saved, we are anointed to serve Him in some way.
Some are anointed to become full time pastors, missionaries, or teachers,
but everyone is anointed to share the good news with the lost.
Some are called to share the news verbally, 
but all are expected to share by the way we live our lives.

Whether we like it or not, 
those who are lost watch us to see if our faith is real.
If they determine that our Lord does not have a high priority in our lives, 
why would they be interested in anything we have to say?
The answer is, they won’t have any interest whatsoever.
Our actions can have an impact on where another person will spend eternity.

God doesn’t call everyone to full time ministry, but He does anoint every 
believer to be responsible for how our faith impacts those who are lost.
Whether or not it is fair for them to judge us, they do it anyway.
Consequently, one word of profanity, one sip of alcohol, or one unkind act 
could cause an unbeliever to lose interest in anything related to the Lord.

God has given us the power of choice. 
But some people do not want to accept the responsibility for their actions. 
They want to blame society, the environment, the schools, 
the circumstances, etc.
We simply cannot stand before an Almighty God 
and try to blame someone else for our actions 
that caused a lost person to become disinterested in salvation.

We must accept the blame ourselves.
Non-believers will face judgment that sends them to eternal punishment, 
but believers will also face a judgment for our actions. 
You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat 
them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 
(Romans 14:10)
Let’s accept our responsibility to do something about it – now.

ACTION:
Do your actions and your lifestyle communicate to others 
that the Lord is of the utmost importance in your life?
If you were a lost person observing your actions, 
would you have an interest in salvation, or be turned off completely?
You are important to God’s ministry because He considers you important, 
and has anointed you to serve Him by living in a way 
that will assure others that your faith is real.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your gift of salvation to me. Forgive 
me if I have taken Your gift of grace for granted. Help me to realize the 
seriousness of how my life can impact where others may spend eternity. 
Show me which changes I need to make in order to communicate to others 
that my faith is sincere. Help me to set aside the things in my life that 
are given a higher priority than You. Give me the appropriate things to say 
when given an opportunity to point others to Jesus Christ.”