IF SOMEONE ASKED HOW CHRIST HAS CHANGED YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

SCRIPTURE:
“I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished 
through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done” 
(Romans 15:18)

MEDITATION:
You know, most people probably don’t care to hear about Jesus from us 
until they see the reality of Jesus in our lives.
Think about that statement for a moment.
Our history with Jesus is our most effective witness to share with others.

If we split the word “history”, it can appear as, “His story”. 
That’s what this world is dying to hear 
- how 'His story' has been woven into 'our story'. 
People can debate and argue theology all day long, 
but they can’t argue what Jesus has done personally in our lives. 
Truth lived out is the best sermon we can give.

During Christmas, some people are a little more receptive 
to talking about Jesus.
However, it can be stressful to some (and us) 
when we approach them about Jesus.
But there are people in all of our lives who need us to 
get past our hesitations and share the reality of Jesus with them.

There is a lady speaker who shared the following:

I was profoundly reminded of the importance of being a witness 
when I spoke at a Pregnancy Care Center dinner in Florida. 
At the end of the night, the center’s director asked a board member 
to come forward and close the evening in prayer.

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this board member 
was a guy I’d known in high school. 
Well, let me clarify that. 
I knew who he was, but he didn’t have a clue who I was. 
 
He had been part of the popular crowd 
(star athlete who dated the beautiful girls). 
I was one of those girls in high school who was easy to miss. 
I felt sort of invisible back then. 
And judging by the blank look on his face when I made the connection 
we’d graduated the same year, my assessment was pretty accurate. 
 
He apologized profusely for his wild behavior in high school and 
acknowledged that he could have been voted, 
“Least likely to grow up to be a pastor.” 
I agreed. 
But then again, 
I wasn’t exactly on the fast track toward ministry back then either.

After we chatted for a few minutes, he got a very serious look on his face. 
Then he said something I won’t soon forget.
He said, “You know what is really odd?
All those years of high school and college, I was a very visible person. 
I had lots of friends.
 
Then I got a college scholarship to play basketball at a major university 
and there were even more people who knew me. 
But no one; no family member, no peer, no girlfriend, no teacher, no coach, 
no professor, no fan, no one; not one person ever told me about Jesus. 
All those years, all those people, 
and not one time did someone try to tell me the truth.
Finally when I was 21 years old, someone took that chance to share with me 
how they met Jesus and it radically changed my life.”

His statement startled me. 
And I hope it startles me the rest of my life.
No one is beyond the reach of truth.
Not the wispy, invisible girl who thinks of herself 
as nothing more than a little background noise. 
And not the star athlete revered by thousands. 
 
Everyone deserves to hear about Jesus sooner rather than later. 
And we must never assume 
that surely someone else would do a much better job than we would.
We should not worry about planning how we will script out what we will say.

We should just be ready to share with others how our lives have been changed,
and how we have benefited from knowing Jesus – in other words, our testimony.
We can spend an inordinate amount of time critiquing pastors and church
facilities, but our time would be better spent 
sharing what Jesus has done for us.

ACTION:
Who is in your sphere of influence 
that needs to hear a bit of HIS–story from you? 
Don’t let Satan whisper that the message above 
is meant only for other people.
Since you have read this devotional, you know it is meant for you.

God created you as a unique individual 
with gifts and talents especially for you.
No other person is like you!
He made you this way so you could fulfill His purposes for you.
One of those purposes 
is to share Jesus with others after you have been saved.
 
Don’t worry about trying to figure out how to arrange the perfect 
situation to connect with others in order to share Jesus with them. 
Just tell Jesus you are willing, and trust Him for handling the details.
Our job is obedience; God’s job is results.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me before I even knew You. Give 
me Your eyes and Your heart to be able to see and sense anyone who needs 
to know about You. Provide me with the right words and the courage I need 
to share Jesus with others. Help me to remember that someone told me about 
Jesus and it changed my life forever.”