It’s a wonderful feeling to know you have found Jesus Christ as a part of your life; to know in your heart that Jesus is always there.
Knowing all of this, it may be easy to curl up and feel cozy with Jesus and withdraw with Him from the real world. It is also easy to quietly let yourself slide back to the “I way” of living. It is tempting, when we have experienced a special moment with Jesus, to relish and relive that moment and to not move forward—to not grow from that experience; to not share that moment with others. Remember Peter at the transfiguration: he would have built tabernacles and never left the mountain! Yes, it’s vital to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, but it should be a resource to push us out of ourselves into the real world to share Jesus. It should be a resource for boldness.
Jesus set the example. He challenged the status quo. He challenged the Jews. He challenged the priests in the temple. The Jews expected their messiah to be a conquering hero who would lead them with an army to conquer the pagans. What God sent was His son who picked a group of ordinary men to be His apostles as He went out and taught a new way to live.
Love and Forgiveness
Jesus preached a message of love and forgiveness, not an eye for an eye.
Jesus raised the dead, healed the sick, and sent out His apostles to do the same, leaving the leaders in the temple unbelieving!
When His apostles would have Him go out into the country to preach, He boldly sat with the children and taught them!
Jesus’ whole ministry was bold because what He did and shat he preached opened up a whole new understanding of His Father! A God who loves His children and would promise all to have eternal life if they accepted Jesus Christ. Finally, Jesus boldly went to the cross, suffering all of the pain, that we might know our sins are forgiven, and three days later showed us the truth of God’s promise of eternal life.
Now, I am certain we cannot begin to match the boldness of Jesus. However, we can step out of our comfort zones to boldly p oclaim our love and faith in Jesus Christ.
Share with Those in Need
Share that same nurturing love from Jesus with those in need. Step out, stretch. It may not be easy for you to do it, but when you do it, you will feel the rewards and see the rewards in the faces of those you have reached out to. You will find that there are people out there who crave what they see that you have. They may see the peace that has come into your life. They may see the love you share. If you sense that in someone, step out, be bold and share Jesus!
Serve those in need. As you serve them, you will see the yearning in their faces for something more in their lives. Step out, answer that yearning by showing that you are there for Jesus and to share the joy and love you feel with Jesus in your heart.There may be times when you are called to do things beyond what you have experienced. They may be things that are contrary to who you are, but the need is there. Stretch!
Jesus is On Your Side
All of these actions are possible for you to undertake. They are possible because you always have Jesus at your side. That is the source of our strength, to take action in ways we never thought we could do.
With Jesus in our hearts, our boundaries are unlimited. Remember those special moments with Jesus and use them to bolster your boldness and grow and stretch. Stretch out your hands in boldness to act, knowing always that Jesus is there to take your hand and give you His strength. After all, He’s been there Himself. Can we do less?
by Deacon Ned Howe
We already have a list of hotels. Lisa will be writing a letter to the managers of these hotels. The next step is where your help would be appreciated. We would like to hand deliver each of these letters. We believe hand delivery will have greater impact than sending them through the general mail. Would anyone be willing to hand deliver a few of these letters? If several people would each be willing to deliver a few no one or two people have to do the entire project. Would you help?
