"The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:24, NIV).
People don't just need to hear about who Christ is in my life. They
need to see Him alive in me. They don't need to just hear about His
forgiveness, but they need to realize it in me. They don't just need to
hear about His power, but they need to experience it through me. They
don't just need to hear about His peace, but they need to see my calm
reassuring faith in Him, no matter what the circumstances. They don't
just need to hear about His joy, but they need to see His joy spring up
from depths of faith in my life. They don't just need to hear of His
love, but they need to feel His love in me.
If I love Him
and live a surrendered life, people will see Him in me. They may accept
or reject Him, but they will have experienced His love and witnessed
His power. “Our lives,” Paul declares, “are a Christ-like fragrance
rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those
who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are
perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who
are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16a,
NIV). If I am His vessel, He does the work and brings all His power to
bear to bring each life to Him. All I must do is be faithful to Jesus
Christ who has called me to live His love. I pray to be a life-giving
perfume, but it is not my place to save. It is my place to live the
change He has wrought in my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment