What do you think of this title for the Thought for the Day? Hopefully it has peaked your interest to find out. Today I pray that God would open up your mind to the possibilities of being able to share your faith in an easy and ingenious way. But before I reveal that to you, let me ask you a question…How are you at sharing your faith? Many people have emotions ranging from uncomfortable to pure terror when it comes to expressing why they believe in Jesus Christ to others. Reasons can be because of a lack of knowledge of the bible or timidity to talk about it or the spiritual warfare from the Devil. But the Apostle Paul offers this truth from 2 Timothy 1:7-8 (NLT)…
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.”
I remember once, hearing Robert Morris of Gateway Church talk about how easy it is to share your faith. It seemed so elementary but so many people miss it…“Just share your story.” You don’t have to be a theologian to “share the Good News of Jesus Christ,” all you need is to just tell people what God has done in your life. Our job is to point people to Jesus, just like Jesus came to point people to God. As Jesus was comforting His disciples in John 14:1-6 about having to go away to prepare a place in “His Father’s House,” Thomas asked a very direct question asking where He was going and in verse 6 Jesus gave this reply:
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6 (NKJV)
Jesus is the Way to the Father and to eternal life in Heaven. Hebrews 10:19-20 (NLT) gives is this confidence…
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.”
When Jesus died on the cross He said “Tetelestai” which means “It Is Finished!” which is recorded in John 19:30…
Jesus said, “it is finished.” Then He bowed His head and released His Spirit.”
“IT IS FINISHED” – These were the last words He spoke before dying on the cross. Jesus said this because He knew His mission was done…Everything necessary for His people to have a relationship with God WAS ACCOMPLISHED! Not only are our sins paid for, but also salvation, forgiveness, and grace is offered to all. Because it is finished, all who trust and believe in Jesus can have a relationship with their heavenly Father. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, check out this post called ★ Thought for the Day – I Hate Religion and I’m a Christian… ★that will lead you in making that decision.
For those who know this truth today, then I urge you to follow the advice from the Apostle Peter…
“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 1 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV)
The time is now! Don’t wait to share your faith with your children and other young people who are in your sphere of influence. According to a study that the Barna Research Group conducted, they found
“…that nearly half of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their savior do so before reaching the age of 13 (43%), and that two out of three born again Christians (64%) made that commitment to Christ before their 18th birthday.”
What this tells me is that we have a very short window to reach people for the Kingdom of God, and once a person passes the age of 21, the percentage drops considerably. Such a sad reality! But at the same time, what an opportunity to share our faith easily with these shirts! Jesus said in Matthew 9:37 (NLT)
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few.”
And finally in Philemon 1:6 (ESV), the Apostle Paul gives this encouragement…
“and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.”
So the question is…Will you Share It? I pray that you will activate your faith starting today with everyone you come into contact!
Today’s Thought for the Day will tie together (2) Fortune 500 Companies that have helped influenced the culture we live in and how people view Christianity. At the time of post, according to the Fortune 500 List, the first company Hasbro just missed the top by ranking at 550 but their impact on our families is significant.
I am not sure if they coined the phrase “Family Game Night,” but clearly Hasbro has done very well capitalizing on their products. I found this Infographic on The Board Game Family website that is from a study conducted in 2013 by Wakefield Research Group for the Hasbro Gaming Company. They found that:
“91% of those polled said playing games gives their family’s mood a positive boost. And 96% of families who play games together say that they feel close!”
In a world in love with their smart phones, iPads and Tablets, I bet in the past 3 years that statistic above is probably much higher than 61% of families having a hard time disconnecting from their devices. There is so much competing for our attention these days. Now I know it is self-serving that Hasbro sponsored this survey and that they found that families playing games = happiness, but as a participant in our own Family Game Nights, I can testify that is definitely true! There are so many great memories just from these few games that I pulled out of our game cabinet…
And there definitely are members who have dominated…For instance, my youngest is the master of monopoly, my oldest daughter rules in Rummikub, my wife baffles us with the number of words she finds in Boggle, and I have a lot of success in Scrabble. Hours upon hours of great family bonding have been spent competing with each other. It’s interesting though as I dug through the cabinet, I was surprised to find that we no longer had Candy Land. I remember racing to arrive at “Candy Castle” first with both of my girls but I guess we gave it away at some point. I googled Candy Land and found this on Wikipedia that jogged my memory of why we no longer have the game:
“Candy Land…requires no reading and minimal counting skills, making it suitable for young children. Due to the design of the game, there is no strategy involved: players are never required to make choices, just follow directions. The winner is predetermined by the shuffle of the cards.”
Besides the fact that the game is rated for ages 3 and up, (and I now have two teenagers), the underlined sentence above is why we don’t have the game any longer. Now in our family everyone is extremely competitive so a game that has no challenge, no strategy or choices really has no place in the game cabinet…hahaha! But I think that people view Christianity in the same way sometimes; if you were to become a Christian your choices are limited and you have to follow a bunch of rules…But that is a lie from the enemy! It reminds me a powerful scene from 2014 God’s Not Dead movie in which Mina’s mother who is suffering from Demetria has a moment of lucidity and compares a life outside of God as a Comfortable Prison Cell, (click here to watch).
The devil wants you to believe that life is more fun without God and that if you become a Christian you will be controlled and have no options just like if you were playing Candy Land. Jesus said in John 10:10 (ESV) that:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
The thief, aka the Devil or Satan wants to ruin your life, whereas God sent Jesus to rescue us. His offer is far greater than any counterfeit that the Devil tempt us with, but unfortunately many fall into the trap that life outside God’s involvement is better, and instead of landing on “Candy Castle,” you will end up in “Molasses Swamp”…okay no more Candy Land references… Jesus is extending a life line to every one of us if we will grab hold of it. He is our lifesaver! Acts 13:38-39 (NIV) instructs us…
“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through Him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.”
And in John 8:36 (NIV) Jesus said,
“So if the Son [Jesus] sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Here are some additional Bible Verses about the Freedom we have over sin and darkness when we follow Jesus that would be good to memorize if you struggle to remember the truth. How are you with memorizing scripture? If you are like me, it’s a struggle to remember where key verses are located but I believe it is okay if you can’t recall the exact “chapter and verse” in the Bible so long as you get the truth in your heart…THAT IS WHAT MATTERS! A trick I have that may help you is to google the part of the verse I remember and 9 out of 10 times I find what I am looking for.
But there is someone, or some fish who does not have that luxury…Dory.
Were you wondering when I was going to get to the second Fortune 500 Company? Well just to be consistent, here is the ranking and stats of Disney in the prestigious list…
Walt Disney was a master at creating a fantasy world that everyone wanted to be a part of. This castle for instance at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida is an icon of his legacy. Every child knows the Magic Kingdom as being “The Most Magical Place On Earth”(and the parents agree, all their money “magically” disappears!) In the much-anticipated sequel to the 2003 blockbuster hit Finding Nemo, Disney has landed gold with the reprisal of the forgetful Blue Tang Fish. In Finding Dory, which has quickly become the #1 U.S. hit of 2016, grossing $437.8 million (according to Box Office Mojo.), we learn all about Dory’s past and how she was separated from her parents, as well as the background on her unusual introductory statement…
“Hi I’m Dory and I suffer from short-term memory loss.”
I was amazed at how good the sequel was, and the issues that were tackled like raising special needs children, being orphaned, friendship and the importance of family! The movie is also unique in that it is the most “family friendly” offering from Disney in years, which as avid movie buff and a discerning parent of what I expose my children to, I appreciate the good lessons without the questionable content to worry about. I was thinking about the movie last week when our family went on vacation to North Carolina for a family reunion, (which was so special since it has been 3 months ago that we lost my mom.) To get there, we decided to do a cross-country drive from Texas which was a first for us. We also added a stop at Destin and Pensacola to hit the beach which was amazing! All in all we logged 2,740 miles and had an amazing family time as we sang, played games and talked. But for those who have driven hundreds of miles you know how wearisome it can get…As we were driving my wife made pun off of Dory’s other catch phase…“Just Keep Swimming…”
As the miles rolled on, she said, “Just keep diving…driving…driving…” Hahaha! But I think there is a great life principle to gain from Dory’s optimistic outlook. She had to overcome a disability, being separated from her parents and being alone, and yet she had an incredible perspective: “Just Keep Swimming!” Or another way to say it is you keep going when you face adversities in life. I think too often people have an unrealistic view of the Christian Faith. They think just because you are a Christian that they should never have any problems. But that simply is not the case because when you become a Christian you become an enemy to the little god of this world, the Devil. I shared about how opposition will always come when we serve God in a post called ★ Thought for the Day – Opposition Will Come ★, (which would be good for you to read also.) Ultimately opposition is a good thing. Strange statement? Not really when you are looking through the correct lens. I love how Jack Graham said it:
“Perhaps today you’d admit that you’re a little discouraged by how difficult the Christian life can be. If so, I want to offer you a word of encouragement: The opposition you face is actually a sure sign that you’re doing something right! Because if the devil leaves you alone, that means you must not be worth trying to discourage!”
Easier said than done right? But I think with the right perspective, we can persevere and flourish. How do I know this? John Chapter 17 reveals the heart of Jesus with an incredible prayer for you and me. We don’t have time to unpack the whole prayer but in verses 13-14 he prayed to God…
“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.”
Now you may say this does not cover me but in just four verses later Jesus prayed…
“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17:20-21)
I know I talk often about spiritual warfare, that we have a very real enemy who wants “to steal and kill and destroy” you and I as we covered already. And now we see Jesus praying for our protection. You see people have a skewed perspective of Christianity because Satan is always on the prowl (see 1 Peter 1:8). But I encourage you to persevere and just keep chasing after God like Dory example has shown us. I will close with this final though from Susie Larson:
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6 (NKJV)
When Jesus died on the cross He said “Tetelestai” which means “It Is Finished!” which is recorded in John 19:30…
Daily Dependence 