Tuesday; October 3

I imagine Jesus was a peculiar figure during His day. I am sure there had been a lot of people who had performed a lot of tricks to make a living. There may have been some who even staged incredible events for show. However, there was something different in Jesus – He did what He did to provide the recipient with an advantage. Jesus never did great feats for monetary gain, He did it to show how much He cared for those who needed help. His miracles were not used to buy something from someone nor even solicit a donation to His cause. His willingness to help seemed to come from two points of reference: first, they proved He was who He claimed to be and, second, they brought a blessing to the recipient. Jesus didn’t sell Himself – He gave of Himself for the benefit of others. Interestingly, this didn’t stop when it appeared the deck was stacked against Him. His final act before His death was His most selfless – He died so that we might live.

Have you given much thought to our approach to evangelism? Why do we do what we do? Sure, I know some people who literally sell religion; but even if that’s not our goal, do we have the same pure motives that Jesus possessed? When we teach the truth of the good news of Jesus we do so because we want people to experience the ultimate joy they can have. It’s not to fill a church building, build a denomination or even pad our personal evangelistic stats – we share the gospel because it brings richness and joy to others. Paul seems to contrast the bad with the good when he wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).

Let’s teach what Jesus taught but let’s also do it the way He did it – with purity of heart and motive. When we genuinely show that we care about people, they are more apt to listen to the sincere message of the free gifts available through our pure Lord and Savior.

Think About It!

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