‘Look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.’
John 4:35 NIV
Jesus said, ‘Don’t you have a saying, “It’s still four months until harvest”?…open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.’ Someone close to you today may be in desperate need of God’s love. Wouldn’t it be worth risking rejection to find that one who’s ready and willing to respond? The fact is, you may be the only Christian they will meet – or meet today.
So if you don’t tell them, who will? Generally speaking, there are five reasons we don’t share our faith more often.
1) We think it’s the preacher’s job to do it (see Acts 1:8).
2) We aren’t certain about our own salvation (see 1 John 5:13).
3) We’re afraid of being rejected (see Luke 12:8-9).
4) We’ve never taken personal responsibility for learning how to share our faith (see 1 Peter 3:15).
5) Our love for Christ has grown cold (see Revelation 2:4-5).
Josh McDowell tells of a corporate headhunter who liked to get potential executives relaxed, then look them square in the eye and ask about their purpose in life. Most were shocked and fell apart under the question.
One day after talking for a while to a man named Bob, the headhunter leaned over, looked into his eyes and said, ‘And what’s your purpose in life?’ Without blinking, Bob replied, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ The headhunter said, ‘For the first time in my career I was speechless.’
Today, someone’s eternal destiny may rest on your willingness to share God’s love with them. That’s your God-given assignment – so tell them about Jesus.
Bible in a Year: 1 Chronicles 10-12, Acts 16:1-21
The Word for Today
