- Revealing the
Life of
- Jesus.
The 3rd Sunday
January 23
We often study about the life of Jesus. We learn about the places that He visited, the people who were a part of His life and the things that He said as He taught the people. We hear of the miracles and we wish that we could visit the land where He was born, lived and was crucified. Many get the opportunity to do just that. They are drawn closer to Him as they see the sights and imagine what it must have been like in the days of Jesus' life.
But what if we really had to walk the path that He trod, see the hurts that He saw and experience the persecution that He experienced? Most of us will never be put in those kinds of situations.
I want to tell you about a friend of ours who has made several journeys to the Holy Land and to Egypt to minister. She has just returned from Egypt. She has experienced what it is like to live among the people and minister in a land where Christians literally put their lives on the line by admitting publicly that they are followers of Jesus.
Joan (not her real name) is a widow who has invested her own money to make these trips. She has lived with a Christian Egyptian family for several months, encouraging them, praying with their friends and family and assisting them in material ways.
She has seen a family come to know Christ as personal Savior. She has seen the joy that they experienced and the change of life that took place as they let God have His way in their lives. She has been instrumental in securing a piece of equipment that made it possible for this new Christian to ply his trade and earn a living.
She has had to endure living conditions that most of us will never experience, and yet through all this, she has had nothing but a beautiful Christian spirit about it all. We marvel at her willingness to do these things. But isn't that what it is all about? Why should we marvel? After all, she is simply "following Jesus."
May we be willing to "walk the path with Jesus!" Let us who may never go to a foreign land make it our goal and reality to "walk with Jesus" right where we live. How many are hurting around us? How many are without Christ as Savior? Let us take advantage of the opportunity to witness, to serve, to minister in His Name each day.
Submitted by Cecil Wallace,
Big Sandy, Texas, USA
Heavenly Father,
How often we have read the stories of Jesus in Your Word. How often we have acknowledged those stories as wonderful examples of the things Jesus did and said.
How easy it is to imagine that Jesus' command to "go and tell" is for those who are called for some special service in Your Kingdom. Today, we are challenged by one who dared to "go and tell" when it would have been so easy to just send money.
You may not call us to some foreign land to witness, but Your Word has already challenged us to "look on the harvest field," that area right around us where people are hurting. Help each of us to make the commitment to reach out and be a friend to those around us who are in need. May we accept the challenge from Your Son to go and tell a lost world about You.
Amen
[Psalms 63,98] [Isaiah 47:1-15] [Hebrews 10:19-31]
[John 5:2-18]
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