All I know is…
Deuteronomy 11:7, “but your own eyes have seen all the great work of the LORD which He did.”
The Lord was preparing the Israelites to go in and take the land that He had promised to give them. In that preparation God knew that they were nervous so He reminded them of the past. He told them to remember the things that they had witnessed; not just what they had heard spoken about, but what they actually knew and remembered.
Sometimes I believe that today we lose track of that command. In the sense that a lot of people value book learning over life experience. (Please, don’t misread me I am not saying that education is not important because it is. You should get all the education you can!)However, that education should never become more important to you than your own experiences.
When I first began mission work there was a saying that we used a lot, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” What we meant was people don’t care if you know the Bible from cover to cover and can quote every verse. When someone is hurting that is all they care about! When you meet a hurting person it doesn’t matter how many Scriptures you can tell them about how God can help, but it might comfort them to know how God helped you when you were hurting.
In todays world we almost idolize people who have gone far in academia, and we sometimes disregard people who have not. I say that in some instances experiental knowledge is more important than book knowledge. When someone is in pain they would much rather be around another person who can empathize with them than just someone that is sympathetic about their pain.
In the same way when we talk to people about the wonders of God our own experiences will make more of a difference than telling them stories of other people. What has God done in your life that will prove His grace and mercy. Nine times out of ten that will touch someones life more than an unknown story.
As Christians we have not been called to simply be parrots repeating only what we have heard from others, but we should tell of how God has worked in our lives. As Christians we should be able to explain to anyone at anytime what God has done for us. In John chapter 9 is the story of the man that Jesus made to see, and when he was brought before the Pharisees he simply told them that Jesus healed him from blindness.
That is what you and I are called to. We have not been asked by God to give an explanation of the meaning of grace. I Peter 3:15 tells us, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence ;”
As Christians the witness we have for God should always be on our lips, and with that witness He can change lives!
____________________________________
Father, I thank You for loving me and giving me a testimony about Your love, and I ask that You help me share that witness to others to bring You the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen
_____________________________________
The image above can be found at:http://www.wellspringpeople.com/ministries/worship-ministry/
Yes, You Can Ministry 