This quote above is a very good reminder for all of us as it talks about something we often forget. For all of us trying to take our faith more seriously, the focus should be on "learning to be like him". I believe this quote is even more important to those of us who are in outreach groups (university, church, work, community).
"The witness we give..." and "...persevere and endure..." are phrases that really struck me when I first read it. As much as we would love to bring people to Christ through our outreaches, all we really should be are witnesses of Christ to others.
A guy named James kept reminding our UCO to be pure. I realize now that by striving to be pure, we can be better witnesses to others and when that happens we can help them see Christ through us. If they join our outreach, great, if not then we pray that they are drawn to God in some way - planting a seed some might call it. Though we may not see the fruits of our labour, we persevere and endure because that is really all we could do; God does the rest. God's grace is the ultimate factor in this kind of work.
Lastly, I end by pointing out the hope which the quote reminds us: "the Father's will is nothing but love". That is hope for us, no matter what it is that God is calling us to do. That is hope that should help us say 'yes' when we are hesitant. That is hope that won't let us down.
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Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post Jon, great reminder that we cannot share Christ if we ourselves do not have Christ in us, in our actions. God Bless brother, see you tomorrow!