Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. [1 Peter 3:15b-16a (MSG)]
Returning from our walk at the park, we saw people at the RecPlex Center setting up for an event with a dais, tables and chairs. A woman was placing a sign that pictured a dog and the words “BARK-A-CUE” in bold red letters. My husband lightheartedly asked, “Are you going to grill some dogs?” In a snarl worthy of a Doberman, she replied, “No dogs!” and sped away faster than a Greyhound! As we walked to our car, we looked more closely at another sign; in small print were the words “Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs,” a worthy cause indeed.
We recalled the last time we’d come upon an event at the same park. That time we spoke with one of the volunteers who eagerly told us about the group, gave us a brochure; they ended up with a nice donation from us. The dog lady, however, missed a valuable opportunity to tell us about the event and possibly get two new supporters. Later in the day, I looked up the event and learned this is their major fund-raising effort. It offered a “fabulous BBQ” (probably not hot dogs!), a silent auction, a band, a well-known vocalist, and an opportunity to learn about service dogs and meet some service dog teams. It would have been a fun way to spend the afternoon. “Oh well,” I thought, “that’s her loss!” but it wasn’t just her loss. Her abruptness to us (and possibly others) affected the organization’s mission of raising, training and donating medical service dogs to veterans, first responders and others in need.
As I pondered how the woman blew an opportunity to share the good her organization does, I realized that most of us aren’t much different (at least I’m not). How many times do we miss an opportunity to share a little of our faith with someone? We don’t have to give a two-hour summary of the New Testament and most people wouldn’t want that. Nevertheless, we can take advantage of the many opportunities we have throughout the day to share our faith and God’s word in many small ways.
Like the Bark-A-Que woman, we can take offense when none is intended or be too busy for a few words or we can be like the eager volunteer we met earlier this year. Remembering we are Christ’s ambassadors, we can graciously answer questions or even offer correction, if necessary. We’re not likely to bring someone to Christ with a few sentences or a quick answer. Nevertheless, we can open the door for them and spark their interest as did the friendly volunteer who gave us the brochure. We do this not by being dogmatic and judgmental but with tact, gentleness, wisdom, and love.
The mission statement from a church I visited recently is, ”We the people of God…are empowered by the Holy Spirit…to be the hearts and hands of Christ.” Let us never forget that we are His voice as well!
If your Gospel isn’t touching others, it hasn’t touched you! [Curry R. Blake]
I have a young friend who’s quite a sports fan. Not only can he spout statistics for his favorite baseball and football players, he can recite the biographies of the top American Ninja Warriors as well. He knows about several athletes and yet none of them know anything about him or would recognize him on the street. I don’t know which team he favored for last Sunday’s Super Bowl but I’m sure he knew who led in kicking and punting or kick and punt returns. Enthusiastic fans do more than know the stats—they often wear team jerseys and may even paint their faces. The prevalence of blue and red shirts on Sunday made it clear the fans at our church favored the Patriots. Considering all the whooping, hollering, high fives and fist bumps that occurred later that day while watching the Super Bowl, you’d think the fans were the ones scoring the points. Using the pronoun “we” for their favored team, they moaned about calls, trash talked the opposition and analyzed plays as if they were on the field. Although fans can dress like their favorite team member, know the stats for the players, and watch every game, they’re not on a first name basis with any of the team. Neither friends nor acquaintances, they’re just fans.
Carrying posters, displaying bumper stickers, wearing t-shirts, or hash tagging with the words, “He’s not my president!” changes absolutely nothing. After today, he is. How we voted, who got the popular vote, whether we’re happy or outraged, whether we have faith in him or not makes no difference. This is what we have for the next four years.
Living in a nation where we worship freely and can both possess and read the Bible, we can easily get complacent and forget that Satan is trying to defeat the spread of the gospel message. According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, those Gideon Bibles we find in our hotel rooms are becoming an endangered species. In this era of political correctness and inclusiveness, hotels want to avoid offending people of other faiths or no faith at all. Two years ago, for example, citing “diversity” reasons, the Travelodge chain in the United Kingdom removed Bibles from all of its rooms. Last year, the Freedom from Religion Foundation asked fifteen major hotel companies to keep Bibles out of hotel rooms. With threats of lawsuits, they succeeded in convincing hotels operated by some state universities in Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa to do just that. The FFRF has also printed a sticker reading, “Warning: Literal belief in this book may endanger your health and life.” They encourage their supporters to place the stickers on any hotel room Bible they find.
Devotions of the Heart 