A Living Message for a Dying World
Words from Jesus
2020-10-29
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”—Romans 10:14–151
How can they hear unless someone is sent? Pray, first and foremost, that souls will hear the good news and receive it. Pray as I prayed while on earth, pleading for those who were lost in the world, praying for their salvation, for them to be alleviated from their pain.
Prayer is a union of your spirit and Mine. It is quiet, yet in its silence it is all-encompassing. The fruit of such silence is service. As you love and worship Me with your heart, soul, and mind, I will give you the power and the counsel and the guidance to reach people and to share the good news that brings joy, hope, and eternal salvation.
My apostles abided in My presence. They lived with Me; they witnessed My obedience to the Father. They prayed with Me. They were instructed to tarry, so they tarried, and they were endued with power from on high. In obedience, they went out singly, not knowing whither they went. They walked, they traveled by ship and by any means necessary, and as they went, their lives were a testimony of Me. They went to the cross. They went through martyrdom. They were soldiers who received a shining crown of life. They lived and breathed My Spirit.
I pray not that you would be taken out of the world, but that you would be kept from the evil. For you must be in the world, yet you are not of the world. Therefore sanctify yourselves through the truth of My Word.2
If you wish to be a witness for Me, be prepared to encounter hardships, to be able to endure temptation, to have a life of prayer, and as you do your part to plant the seeds, you can trust that all who receive My words of life will become part of My kingdom. Whether people receive your witness or not, the fruit of your life of faithfulness will remain. You will be like a tree planted by the waters that gives fruit and provides shade to the people around you.
The people of this world ache for God! They ache for My Spirit and My truth! The need is as great today as at any point in history. Every generation must hear the gospel. Can you hear the heartcries of those around you? My Spirit aches for the lost and suffering and yearns to satiate their thirst!
A missionary is a person sent with a message—and all My children are called to share the message of My truth with others, whatever situation they are in. Let My Holy Spirit live in you. Clothe yourself with Me. When you say, “I am a Christian,” let sincerity and truth shine through your witness.
Be a missionary for Me today, and be faithful to share the message with the people I place in your path. As you search and seek for those in need, you will find them. Be the saints of God for today—so that others can experience and come to know My love.
Watch and pray
“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns.”—Luke 12:35–373
Do not allow yourself to be lulled into a false sense of security in thinking that things will continue as they always have. You are called to watch and be prepared and ready. As I told My first disciples, “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”4 Be patient and prepare in spirit, in My Word, and in love. Do your part to bring My kingdom to the hearts and lives of the lost.
Take advantage of this period of relative peace and ease for sharing My gospel with others. Do your part to fulfill your commission and preach the gospel to every creature wherever you are called to be in the world. Do your part to saturate the world with My Word and truth. Teach others who can teach others and who will be able to carry on My great commission.
No matter what else you are doing, always remember the calling you have to share the gospel, to witness the truth, and to love others into My kingdom. You can prepare for the harvest by doing your part wherever you are planted to plow the field, sow the seed, water that which has been planted, nurture it, and help it to grow.
Faithfulness
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”—Colossians 3:23–245
I know it is not always easy to be a witness, especially in times and places where the ground is hard, and few seem to be receptive or even open to receiving the message. It takes a willingness to pick up your cross daily when the message isn’t popular or goes against the status quo. It takes accepting discomfort, sacrifice in your life, and death of self so that I can live in others, but hardship is the stuff that heroes are made of.
You are called to reach those who have no voice, the poor and downtrodden of the world with My salvation and hope. You must not only lead people to Me, but speak the truth that sets people free. Your job is to bring sight to those who are blind by showing them the truth.
Your part is to be faithful to share the message with others, whether people receive the message or not. My prophet Jeremiah gave the message, but not many people listened to him. They threw him in prison, and he had a lot of hard times with very few results. But he was faithful to give the message, and I rewarded him greatly.
Take the example of the widow who gave her mite to the temple. It wasn’t much—very little compared to others who gave of their abundance—but in My eyes it was just as great a gift. In fact, it was a greater gift, because she had given her all. So it is with you.
To you it may seem that what you can give and what it accomplishes is like a mite—just a small thing. You may look at others and compare; you see the great things they have accomplished, and you feel like your gift is so small. But I see your faithfulness, and for that, a great reward is prepared for you in heaven.
Published on Anchor October 2020. Read by Jerry Paladino.
Music by John Listen.
1 NIV.
2 John 17:17.
3 BSB.
4 Luke 12:40.
5 NIV.