Have you ever missed a great concert or event you would have liked to have attended…all because you didn’t hear about it in time? You are probably still kicking yourself. It’s all about hearing. It’s hard to stay connected to a community if you’re not hearing about what’s happening.
So how can people call upon the Lord if they don’t know him yet? Or if they know him, maybe they haven’t heard what happens when we call on the Lord? It’s a bit tragic. God has a great message of salvation for all those who hear it. Unfortunately, God doesn’t have a big megaphone that will get everyone’s attention. What he has instead is us.
When is the last time you shared your faith with someone who didn’t know, who hadn’t heard about God? It’s up to us. Whether we come right out and talk about it or let our lives be the only Bible people read, we need to be sharing. When you try a new restaurant and have a mouthwatering meal, you talk about it. You let people know. You get the word out. Why is it so easy to talk about food but not salvation? One satisfies for a couple of hours, and the other will change someone’s eternity. Think about that one!
Fear holds most of us back. We’re afraid we’ll run into a question we can’t answer, or a person with a hardened heart. I think of the Jews that Paul is talking about. They have heard. Some have seen. But they still don’t believe. That can be frustrating to us when we share an important message, and it goes unheard or not listened to.
God said through the prophets about Israel, “All day long I opened my arms to them, but they kept disobeying me and arguing with me.” Do you know what I thought of? An unruly teenager. Whether you’re a parent and have had teenagers or not, you can at least remember being one. It was not one of my brightest moments, especially when I pushed the envelope with my parents. Think of how God feels when his own people don’t see and follow Jesus.
It’s not up to us to worry about who listens. We just need to make sure people “hear” the Good News. We can’t see into the hearts of man, only God can. Having heard the message, it’s up to God to stir their heart. When we can separate ourselves from the result and solely focus on the message, we find our purpose.
Take some time today to figure out how you can be a messenger of the Good News. What audience in your vicinity needs to hear it today?
Let’s pray. Father God, I thank you for your message of salvation. I have heard and want to obey. Make me more like you in all I say and do. Forgive me when I miss opportunities to share about you. May I glow with your spirit living inside me. Help me to open my mouth when the time is right so people will hear the Good News. May their ears be ready to hear. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
