John 16:12-15 (Today's New International Version)
"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."
There is a Christian saying, "They do not care how much you know, they want to know how much you care." How to communicate the love of Jesus Christ in a world focusing on the failings of the Church? We need to take the pressure off of ourselves. Salvation does not come from us trying hard enough. Salvation is a gift from Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Savior.
Psalm 100:3
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
All the people are God's people. Jesus Christ told us to be salt and light:
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
I am far more comfortable being a light that shines (not speaking) than speaking up, salt is not my thing. But God gives me comfort. If there is a teachable moment, I am going to take it. But I have a deal with God (actually it is God's deal with all of us), no one wants to eat tablespoons of salt. I do not have to speak continually of my salvation and the joy God brings to me in it. Because the deal is: God doesn't want me to.
God is probably not finished suggesting I improve my witnessing. And we are not called to be too relaxed:
John 9:4,5
We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
The Good News is that He is in control. I can save no one by myself, the power is Jesus Christ. Each night I pray for the ones I love. I picture the love of God as an overwhelming light and I place it in the households of the ones I love, I ask God to draw them to His love. There do not have to be words, God knows.
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
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