HOW EXCITING TO KNOW THAT GOD USES THOSE HE SAVES!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them 
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. 
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
(Matthew 28:19-20)

MEDITATION:
Remember when you were a child 
and one of your parents asked you to help them with some task?
At an early age it was a great feeling 
to know that you could be a useful contributor, wasn’t it?

Have you experienced that same exhilaration 
in knowing that God wants you to help Him?
God didn’t save us with the idea that we could continue living the same way.
When we received God’s salvation, we became His disciples 
and our lives should reflect that we have become a new person.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your 
old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made 
new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to 
be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

At some point in our lives, He calls us to specific areas of service,
and until He does, all of His disciples are called to ‘teach’.
That was the instructions Jesus gave to the twelve disciples (and us).
Some are called to specific areas of teaching (preaching, bible study, etc.),
but we are all called to teach by the way we live, which is observed by others.

If we claim to be a Christian and continue in our “pre-saved” lifestyle, then 
we teach others (especially the lost) that salvation doesn’t change anything.
If our words, actions, habits, and priorities remain the same,
then the lost will believe there is nothing to be gained from salvation.
If Satan still has a foothold in our lives, 
we will find ways to justify our sins.

As teachers, we need to be sensitive to the effect we have on the lost.
Paul knew that some had issues eating certain foods, and even though 
he was confident that the Lord did not have a problem with it, he was 
more concerned about the risk of causing someone to stumble, 
than satisfying his own desires.

Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, 
but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to 
stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else 
that will cause your brother or sister to fall. 
(Romans 14:20-21)
Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, 
I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. 
(1 Corinthians 8:13)

ACTION:
As disciples of the Lord, if we feel we are doing nothing wrong, 
rather than thinking ‘others just need just need to get over their hang-ups’, 
we need to realize how our actions could cause them to stumble.
We are called to be teachers, and not defiant, insensitive Christians.

Over the years, I have heard testimonies about how someone was led to 
the Lord as a result of the changes they saw in someone who had been saved.
In some cases it was a person who used to drink, but after receiving God’s 
salvation, they refused to drink alcoholic beverages ever again
(not a glass of wine; not  anything), because they knew it was hypocritical.

In other cases, it was someone who was living a life of fornication who 
walked away from that lifestyle when they had an encounter with the Lord. 
Imagine how they could have caused a lost soul to never be interested 
in being saved if they had failed to change their lifestyle, 
but chose instead to continue to indulge in their selfish desires.

When we live in sin (according to God’s commands or the opinions 
of a lost soul) we could have a devastating impact on where another 
person will spend eternity,
What areas of your life do you need to change in order to improve your 
calling as a teacher, so you will show others what it means to be saved?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I may have been lackadaisical about the impact my 
lifestyle has on others, and especially the lost. Help me to reassess 
my attitudes, priorities, and lifestyle so that I can become a better 
teacher of what it means to be a sincere and faithful Christian. Teach 
me to realize that whether I like it or not, I am observed by others, 
and the things I do will have either a positive or negative effect on 
their opinions about salvation. I don’t want my words or actions to 
cause someone to turn away from You. Help me to realize how seriously 
my life can impact others, so that I will be a useful contributing 
disciple of Yours.” 

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