January is a time for reflection, not to the past, but to the future. Our church calls us to a 21 day of prayer and fasting. This year the theme and emphasis is-BE MY WITNESS.
We're daily asking the Holy Spirit to show us areas we need to surrender to him. As he fills us with power we can obey the commission to go make disciples. It's exciting to think about what God has in store for a people who are committed to seeking him for more passion to share Jesus with those who don't follow him. I was reading through some of my pervious blog posts tonight and found one that retold a story about an experience Lee Strobel had shared at some point. I'm using it again because it fits so well with our theme this month.
Lee Strobel (a pretty prominent Christian apologist) came and talked to us a couple of weeks ago and told a story about how, a couple of years ago, he was wanting to share his faith with a co worker that he had known for a long time. He knew the guy was an atheist but he really felt like God was telling him to go invite this guy to church on Easter Sunday. So Lee walks over to this guy's cubicle and asks him to church. Of course the guy was like why would I want to go to church? So Lee starts laying out a few things about Christ and the reasons for believing, but this guy is resolute in that he is not coming to church. So Lee walked away from that meeting like, great God, that was awesome. Why'd you have me do that? Lee said, "That guy is still an Atheist to this day and he never did come to church. So a little while ago, I had finished preaching and I had a man come up to me that I had never met. The man said, I just wanted to share my story with you, a couple of years ago, I lost my job. I was having a really rough time and was trying to find work wherever I could. I didn't know God and was just trying to make it on my own. I was hired by a local business to do a random tiling job that had come up. The owner was taking pity on me and you don't know this but I was tiling in an office and was stuck down behind a cubicle when you came up and started talking to a guy about coming to Easter Service at your church. I heard what you said and I called my wife right then and said honey we've got to go to this church!" Lee called that ricochet faith and I think that even if we aren't technically evangelizing, whatever interactions we are having with people, if we are being mindful of our faith and trying to share God even in just being friendly, God uses our interactions regardless of the responses we get."
BE encouraged. Our God is full of surprises. I want his love to guide me. I want to stay open and listening for his direction.
"Lord make me aware of who you are setting me up for. May I see everyone I meet as a beautiful person made in your image."
