Having been made in the image of God, our hearts have been set by Him on eternity. Rooted in each heart is a God-given desire to impact the world around us. But in the midst of endless distractions, countless opportunities to live out our purpose can go unnoticed each and every day. Stick around this week as we look at how we live our day-to-day lives in a way that points others to the cross.

Tending the Sheep

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19, NASB

Everywhere we look, we are surrounded by hurting people. In their hearts are holes that only God can fill, yet we in the church are failing to share the gospel message of salvation with them. We have the cure for what ails them, yet we keep it to ourselves.

Is it the fear of not knowing enough about the Bible? Are we afraid of appearing vulnerable by putting ourselves out there and facing rejection? Or are we so distracted and overwhelmed by the pace of our lives that we fail to make sharing our faith with those around us a priority?

I realize that not all of us are called to be Bible teachers or evangelists, but each of us are called to make disciples.

Abounding with impactful teachings, humble service, and astounding miracles, Jesus’ earthly ministry was nothing short of amazing! He healed the sick, He brought the dead to life, and He walked on water. But in addition to the remarkable, He lived His life out daily alongside His chosen disciples. Working to prepare them to pick up the torch when His time on Earth had ended, He poured Himself into them. He served them, He taught them, and He broke bread with them. He did real life with them and had real relationships with them. It is this group that went on to turn the world upside down for the gospel.

Isn’t that what we desire to do: to turn the world upside down for Jesus? But how will we equip other believers if we aren’t sharing the hope we have in Christ with them? Who will tell them if we aren’t? Unfortunately, many of them are looking to what the world is telling them to fill that God-sized hole in their hearts.

I wonder how many opportunities to share my faith I’ve missed because I wasn’t looking. Or how many relationships I have missed out on because I didn’t think I had time to invest in anyone else?

God has placed people in each of our lives for us to pour ourselves into as we live out this life beside them, pointing them to Jesus along the way. Our children need to know what we believe and why we believe it, but so do our friends, our neighbors, and our coworkers. Everyone need to know because their salvation depends on it!

Each and every day people die and their eternity will be spent somewhere. Wouldn’t it be great to see them in Heaven?!

Pouring out,
Traci