What's your thing?
Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Judges 17, 18, 19
Judges 17:6 (NIV)
6 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
Good morning!
In the summer of ‘69, the Isley Brothers had a mega hit on the pop music charts entitled It’s YourThing. Do you remember the words to this song? I remember the hours I spent that summer at the community swimming pool, sunbathing and listening to the transistor radio sitting next to my swim bag. I can still hear the melody and the words of this song ringing in my ears, as if it were just yesterday: “It’s your thing (it’s your thing), do what you wanna do; I can’t tell you who to sock it to. Let me hear you say - it’s my thing (it’s your thing), I do what I wanna do.”
We hear a lot about diversity, especially in the workplace and through our news media. There are a lot of people out there trying to find their way. They keep searching for something or someone they can believe in. Humans long to find a comfortable place where they can say, I belong here. They invest their life’s energy into the pursuit of this dream. Most of the people I know tend to do their own thing. I watch and pray while they climb career ladders, pursue many hobbies and love interests with reckless abandon. I let them skip down the garden path knowing it will lead them to a dead end. I can see them falling; yet, out of respect for our culture, I remain silent. What is up with that? Our society teaches that it is disrespectful to speak up against the practices and belief systems of others, even when we are convicted to share the Good News. When I refuse to share Jesus, am I really acting out of respect for others, or am I disrespecting the Lord in my disobedience to follow His instruction? How much do I really care about the spiritual condition of my neighbor?
If we could see our brothers and sisters the way our Lord sees them, maybe we would feel an urgency to tell them about Jesus. Why do we hesitate to share the best gift we have ever received? Why do we wait for someone else to reach out, when we are standing right next to them? Do we not have enough trust in Christ to reach out in love? Last night, right before I fell asleep, I read the following words written by Pastor Rick Warren. I am quoting an excerpt from the book entitled, “The Complete Evangelism Guidebook.” I’m allowing these words to simmer in my heart today, and I pray they will obliterate the lyrics of the song I learned as a child in the summer of ‘69 at the community swimming pool.
The Bible says, “God does not want anyone to be lost, but He wants all people to change their hearts and lives” (2 Peter 3:9 NCV). As long as you know one person who doesn’t know Christ, you must keep praying for that person, serving him or her in love, and sharing the Good News. And as long as there is one person in your community who isn’t in the family of God, your church must keep reaching out. The church that doesn’t want to grow is saying to the world, “You can go to Hell.” Warren 64-65.
If we don’t tell them about Jesus, who will?
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com
Pray for: the Lord to give you the desire to share what you know to be true. Jesus gave us the Great Commission. For those of us who believe, it is not an option – it is His command. Will you choose to share the saving love of Jesus with someone today?
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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