I keep my heart open to the Lord. I keep my heart open to people in need. I keep my ears and eyes open to the Lord. I keep my ears and eyes open to people in need. I keep my Bible open every single day, digging in, digging in, studying, learning, applying it to my life, growing, and pouring out what the Lord pours into me. And I have come to understand, and accept, and even expect, that everyday life is absolutely plentiful with opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a world in need. Not merely to show Christ through my words and actions, which I ever aspire to do no matter how far short I fall and no matter how far I have yet to go in learning to do this more consistently. But I have learned that everyday life is chock full of possibilities when it comes to talking to people about the Gospel and ministering God’s love – whether it be explaining how to be born again and saved, whether it be praying for someone, whether it be helping someone to understand the Bible, whether it be giving someone godly counsel, whether it be encouraging someone, and, yes, as hard as it can be, whether it be confronting someone with the difficult to hear truth in love. God’s Truth.
But isn’t this the typical life of an evangelist as I am, or the typical life of someone in full-time ministry as I am? Certainly it can be. But I believe with every ounce of my heart that it needs to be in no way limited to someone who is called into full-time ministry. I believe it is for all those who are, above all else, sold out to loving – and to serving – the Lord. So how can this be done in everyday life? Isn’t it hard to find opportunities? It is not. Why is it not hard?
Because I believe that every single time we come into contact with another human being, whether it be in a parking lot, a store, a place of business, a school, an event, a sports game, a subway, a hospital, a restaurant, a home, a neighbor’s house, a gym, anywhere at all where we cross paths with another human, and even a telephone call or e-mail, we have before us an opportunity to share the Gospel and to minister God’s love. I have long since come to see that I can look at the world around me with my natural, human eyes, or with spiritual eyes. I can see a telephone call as a telephone call, a business opportunity as a business opportunity, a garbage dump as a garbage dump, anything at all as it may in fact appear to be, or I can see it with altogether different eyes.
I can see every single human being on this earth as needing to repent and to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, as God’s only begotten Son who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, as the only way to receive forgiveness from God for one’s sins and to spend eternity with Him in heaven rather than forever in hell. Every single human, then, needs to hear the Gospel in order to believe and be saved from God’s wrath warranted for one’s sins and to be given the promise of eternal life. But this is not all. It is only the beginning. For every single human who already believes in Jesus as Lord still needs to spend his or her life growing in the image of God by studying the Bible and learning to live according to God’s ways. Every human needs the teaching of the Bible, encouragement, prayer, ministering to, discipleship, and, yes, being confronted with God’s Truth when he or she is off course.
So then, in my estimate and in my experience, my opportunities to serve God in my everyday life are endless in the grand scheme of things. For then I realize that everything I do on a daily basis involving other humans means that there is the possibility if I open my heart and open my mouth to love the Lord and to serve Him by proclaiming Him to the world around me and by helping and encouraging others to be sold out, fully committed followers of Christ.
For a woman who has spent most of my life so far being utterly self centered and self consumed, doing as I have learned from the world more than anything what would enable me to live my dreams and fulfill my desires to satisfy my flesh, what a pleasure – and privilege – it is indeed to be humbled by the love of God in such a way that I now desire above all else to love the Lord with all my heart and to serve Him not just once in a while, nor by any obligation whatever, but unashamedly, unabashedly, every day of my life with every ounce of my heart. Not for a pat on the back nor for self satisfaction, though most assuredly serving God is fulfilling beyond measure, but for the glory of the Lord God almighty. Yes, for Him! To Him to whom belongs ALL glory! Amen.