“Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heaven burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)
Dr. David Jeremiah inspires me. He’s a man of great faith and great courage and often addresses issues in his Turning Point devotional that challenge and inform me. In a recent devotional entitled “Every Deed a Seed,” (09-26-24) Dr. Jeremiah wrote: “It was a farmer whistling hymns that prompted Jane Guinness to seek and find Christ. Another farmer offered to let a teenager named Billy Graham drive his truck if he’d attend the Mordecai Ham crusade, and Billy was saved.
Ham himself felt God’s hand fall on him when he watched his grandfather on his death bed pointing upward as if seeing Jesus. An unknown saint donated a few dollars to provide the Gideon Bible that brought baseball player Orel Hershiser to Christ. Charles Spurgeon was converted when a layman quoted Isaiah 45:22: ‘Look to Me, and be saved.’”
What might it take to turn you to Jesus? Or what small thing might the Lord be prompting you to do that could influence someone in your spheres of influence to yield their life to Jesus. I’d been shooting hoops at a local park when I saw a boy from school staring at me very intently. “I’m watching you!” he said, as I passed him.
If someone said that to me today, I’d likely ask some questions, but that day, for whatever reason, I just kept walking. I hadn’t been a believer very long, so, I assumed he was referring to my life as a believer, but regardless of what he meant, it’s always reminded me that regardless of who we are, someone is watching our life.
And that’s okay. Everybody was watching Jesus, and it was all good. He never made a mistake, never did or said anything that would be offensive, except, maybe, to the Pharisees and other Jewish religious leaders, those who were violating His Law so rudely and calling it “obedience.” But the point for us is simply this – “Who’s watching YOU?” Whose life are you effecting, positively or negatively, that is either pointing others to Jesus or away from Him.
We want to believe the “professionals” say it best and wield the most influence over others, but, honestly, that’s rarely the case. Most people of whom I’m aware, come to the Lord because of a faithful friend who day after day lives Jesus through an honest effort to be His humble servant. They aren’t trying to “preach” to us or to impress anyone with their knowledge of the Bible or Jesus, they just want to show us how good it is to know Jesus and seek to follow Him closely.
They “whisper” to us through their loving friendship, kindness, thoughtfulness, gentleness, and other God-honoring ways, inviting us into a relationship with the Lord Jesus who has changed their life so dramatically.
How about you? Do you know Him? Have you learned to love Him and to be loved by Him? I have and it’s the best decision BY FAR that I’ve ever made in my life. If you’re thinking about learning how to start a relationship with Jesus, go to Ron Hutchcraft’s website and watch this brief video. Just click on the highlighted word.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 