Let's talk about it!

 

   "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 11:18-19

        If you know me well you know that I am happy to talk about Jesus and all He has done in my life. I don't pretend to have all the answers, I am certainly not an expert and I have never been to "bible school" but I do know Jesus personally, I pray regularly for His will in my life and in the lives of my children, I ask Him to lead me and to help me reflect Him to those around me...in ways that are real and authentic. I don't want to be pushy, fake or judgmental. I hope that when people see and hear me talk about the Lord that they will want to know Jesus too. Sometimes I feel like the Lord is speaking directly to me...and I am often in awe as He gently nudges me on when I hesitate or feel unsure if I am the "right" person for the job - I struggle...just like we all do....am hearing Him right?  I am sometimes fearful of doing something wrong, knowing my many flaws and wondering if they disqualify me to those I am speaking to? 

    There are people in my family that have been hard to talk to about their belief, their faith, their understanding of eternity....I have been unsure what to say, how to start the conversation, fearful that something I said would be the exact wrong thing. But in those moments I have to remind myself, and thankfully have people in my life that remind me 1) all things by prayer and 2) God will work all things together for the good of those called according to His purpose. I have to lean in hard to what Gods word says, and the promises He has made. See I already know that I can not mess up Gods plan, and it is not my responsibility to grow someone else's faith. However, it is my duty as a member to Gods family to share my knowledge of Him and to answer the call when He calls me out.  

    One of my "favorites" a dearly loved uncle has been dealt a hard hand and is approaching the end of his time here on earth - I love this man and we had never had the conservation  about where he stood with Jesus. I tried a couple of times over the last few years since he has been sick...but he didn't "take the bait" so I waited and I prayed. As his birthday approached in July 2021 and his condition was much worse I decided that I would use the gift God gave me and I wrote him a letter...told him about Jesus and opened the door again to talk about it...but again he did not respond. Several weeks ago I stopped by his home and I spoke with my aunt - while sitting on the front porch we talked about faith and God, agreeing that we would continue to pray for Gods grace and for my uncle to surrender to the Lord, she wondered aloud why God would allow my uncle, the man she has loved for 43 years, to suffer so much - yep there it was, one of those questions that is so hard to answer we don't want to look at it. Suffering sucks, illness sucks, cancer sucks!! How many times have you heard someone question "if God is good WHY does he allow.....". In that moment and in response to that question, it came out of my mouth before it even truly crossed my mind as if it was straight from the Spirit of God  "I think the Lord is being patient, and giving him time to come to Him. God knows his heart, God loves him and wants him to surrender." Suddenly everything made more sense to me that God in His faithful, graceful, merciful way was giving my uncle the time he needed to make a choice. 

    A few weeks ago and the last time I saw my uncle he was very frail, and he was bedbound. I sat next to his bed and for a little while laughed about old memories and the Falcons, but then I knew it was time....time to just say it: "Uncle Bruce, did you read the letter I gave you on your birthday? Can we talk about it?" He told me he didn't really "get it" and that he hoped that didn't hurt my feelings. I assured him it did not and proceeded to tell him about Jesus, what He did for us and that it was a gift we could not earn but must accept of our own free will....with tears rolling down my cheeks I told him about how God saved me and changed me, that God was waiting for him to call out and acknowledge Him. Then my uncle said to me with tears in his eyes "I think I missed my chance" Y'ALL....again in that very moment, it came out of my mouth before it even truly crossed my mind as if it was straight from the Spirit of God and I said "NO that is a lie!" We talked about the day Jesus died and the men hanging on the crosses on either side of him.....and I simply told my uncle the truth that Jesus loves us all, we are all sinners, and it is NEVER to late to turn to Him and acknowledge him as Lord...just as that criminal hanging next to him did and was promised to be in paradise with Jesus. I told him that there was not a magic prayer...that it was between him and Jesus, it was a gift and he only need to acknowledge, confess and receive. We both cried, I held his hand and told him how much I love him and I walked away that day knowing that God planted a seed that was being watered! That has been my prayer since that day, that the seed of truth would take root in my uncles heart and that he would accept Christ before his final day on earth. Many, many people have been praying along with me, and others have spoken to him about Jesus over the past few weeks. And now I sit here in tears, so incredibly thankful to God for His faithfulness, His mercy, His patience and His unmatched love for each of us....because today, October 7, 2021,  my uncle has done just that, today he called out to the Lord and was saved. I do not know how many days he has left in this world, but I am confident that I will see him again! Thank you Jesus!!! 

    Y'all if you know Jesus, share the good news....share it with everyone you know, those that you love and those that you tolerate. Do not be fooled into believing that you "don't know enough to share" - LEARN, READ, LEAN IN, and TALK about Jesus!!  I get it...sometimes its hard, and honestly it can be a bit scary...but don't allow your fear to keep you from planting or watering the seed of truth and steal salvation from someone. If you are a follower of Christ, you are called to make disciples and He will equip you with all you need to accomplish this task. So lets talk about it!!! Celebrate with me!! God is so GOOD! 

Much Love! 

Sam