More Than a Story

Did you ever take notes during the pastor’s opening prayer because his words were so profound? That just happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

As the service began, the pastor prayed: “We don’t want to leave You on the pages of the Bible.” Wow! I peeked and found a pen and jotted it down. Actually, my writing could stop right there.   His words are a GOAD to stir my thinking as a Christian.

Are we leaving God “only in the pages of the Bible”? Do we sometimes treat God’s Word as though it is a story about Jesus and His life and miracles and yet those miracles and His life do not show through us?

That is a question to consider even if we are daily in God’s Word - and have been for years. Maybe you have been saved a long time and have just not “gotten the hang of it” as far as a meaningful, daily Bible time with the Lord. It is time to start!

Psalm 119:130 - “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” So there is hope for ALL of us...even the “simple.” J

So is it busyness, fear, pride, unconcern that keeps us from focusing on this important part of our Christian lives?  Our priority must be getting God’s words into our hearts and Jesus off the pages of the Bible. When He is so alive in us, we will not hesitate in offering this gift to others.

Now, I also believe that most of us do not have hearts that are unconcerned for others. Life just gets so full of “important” tasks and responsibilities that we do not focus consciously on sharing the Lord Jesus with others.

We can do that by following Galatians 6:2 that exhorts us to “bear one another’s burdens.” Many times, through our helping to bear a person’s grief or troubles, that person has come to know Christ. This takes time!

Our words can show Christ to others as in Proverbs 15:23 that reminds us “how good is a timely word.” This “timely word” can be face-to-face or in a lovely card with God's Word to remind them of His love. This takes time!

Do we feel that the outcome of our sharing is our responsibility? Remember, with Jesus and you, there are two people in that relationship. Only ONE is enough. He is “never depleted.” The Holy Spirit has all the creativity we need to help us in any conversation or situation.

LET’S NOT LEAVE JESUS ON THE PAGES OF THE BIBLE. We want to get Him into our lives and share Him with others.

--Maylou Holladay