You Say What?
It was He who gave some
to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be
pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the
body of Christ may be built up. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
You
say, "I can't tell anyone about the love of Jesus, I don't know the right
words." You say, "Send me? I'm
too busy; I don't have time to share the Word." You say, "Go into all nations and preach
and teach the Good News? I'm not a
teacher!" God has given us all
spiritual gifts. Sometimes, we just
don't know what they are. I remember a
time when I was a child and a package came to my home a week before
Christmas. I was not allowed to open it
until Christmas morning. I shook it and
listened, moved it to several different locations so I wouldn’t forget about it
and I tried to guess by its size what it might be.
God
doesn’t want us to shake, move, or guess the gift He gives us. Instead of shaking your gift, get moving and
act upon it. Instead of moving your
gift, don’t try to run away from a talent you feel you have. Instead of guessing at your gift, go ahead
and try it. God doesn’t care if you make
a mistake or if you don’t get it right.
Better to try and not succeed than to never try at all. His love and Grace are all you need. Put your trust in Jesus.
If
I had never opened my gift Christmas morning, I would never know the joy that
the person who sent it wanted me to have.
Likewise, Jesus wants us to give the news of Eternal Salvation to others
so they can enjoy His wonderful gift in heaven.
Questions:
1. Are you struggling to find your gift?
2. What
are you good at?
3. How
could you use that gift to help others?
Ask a friend or your pastor to help you identify
your gift.
4. Do you
think Jesus' job on earth was easy?
People rejected Him and hated Him, but He kept doing the will of the Father.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, Help me identify my gift so I may
use it to bring You glory and honor in the lives of
other people. You came to serve, not be
served and I also need to be giving of myself to others. Send me out into the world to use my
gift. Amen.
Send
A Compass
”Direct me in the path
of Your commands, for there I find delight.” (Psalm 119:35)
When
my wife and I go on a trip, she is the map-reader. However, I will not stop to ask for
directions. We will drive and drive
until she finally says, "Stop at the next gas station or store, and I'll
ask for the street directions or house number."
How
many times do we seem to be following the map of life, only to discover that
the direction we are taking is leading us to a different destination?
Asking
for directions is not easy, because we think we are always in control. Send your prayers to God for direction. He is the compass of your life--always there
to guide you. When you send your prayers
to God, in Jesus' Name, He will send you a message of hope, love, and patience
to get you where you need to be in your life's journey.
Questions:
1.
How
do you think the Wise Men felt when they were sent by the angel to go another
way instead of back to King Herod?
2.
How
do you think the people of
2.
Prayer:
Dear
Jesus, When I set out to do something I don't always
ask for Your directions first, and I get lost.
My sin clouds my thoughts and my direction becomes fuzzy. Send me off each day, Lord, in the confidence
of knowing that You are there and I don't go it
alone. Amen.
Send
Send E-mail
“Blessed
is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear
it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)
If
you have email, you know all about junk. It's the stuff about everything under
the sun, that you don't want or need, sent by strangers and sometimes friends.
It's a daily routine — delete, delete, delete. But sometimes my friends send me
something worth reading, and not only worth reading, but worth saving and
passing on. Afraid to miss those few treasures, I end up browsing through a lot
of junk.
That's
the way it is in the real world, too. A lot passes through our daily lives.
Much of it is junk. But once in a while we find a treasure -- a moment or
experience worth remembering and passing on.
That's
what Christians find in the message of Jesus Christ. It's the treasure of
meaning in a chaotic and sometimes "junk” world. The message of salvation
in Christ is that one message not only worth saving but worth passing on to the
rest of the world.
What
happens when God sends a message?
1.
Some
hide. (Genesis 3:8)
2.
Some
question. (Exodus 3:11)
3.
Jesus
spoke in a parable of what happens when the world receives God’s Word.
(Matthew 13:3-8)
Questions:
1.
To
whom should we send the message of Jesus Christ?
2.
How
can we send the message of salvation in a simple and effective way?
3.
How
can we send a message in a way that it won't be deleted as junk mail?
Prayer
Dear
Lord, open our hearts to receive Your message of love
and salvation. Give us faith, wisdom and strength to pass it on to the rest of
the world. Amen.
Send
Brown Paper Packages
A gift opens the way for
the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great. (Proverbs 18:16)
Did you ever wrap a gift for Christmas in
beautiful ribbon and paper, only to have to cover it with brown paper so that
it could be sent in the mail? Underneath
the plain, brown wrap, you know the person opening it will enjoy the pretty paper
underneath and the gift inside.
Missionaries, pastors, teachers, and maybe even
you and I are like the brown paper wrap.
There are messages about Jesus Christ to be sent and delivered all
around the world today and they can be delivered by people who are humble,
simple, and plain, just like the brown wrap.
You don't need fancy words or clothes.
Look at Jesus who was born in a barn.
It was not a fancy place, yet God's message and gift to us came so
precious and beautiful, just like the fancy ribbon and paper.
Questions:
1. Do you
know someone today who could use a gift – a life-saving gift of faith in Jesus?
2. Could
you be the simple, brown wrap that could go and visit, send a card, or make a phone call to someone who needs to
hear God's love?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help me be the sender of the
Christmas message to someone who needs to hear your Word. You are the best gift anyone could
receive. Use me, Lord to be the
packaging wrap of brown, simple paper and not to be afraid to tell others about
eternal life in heaven. Amen.
Send
Send Christmas Cards
“My prayer is not
for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their
message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in
you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them
the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I
in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world
know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John
One
might not be much for sending Christmas cards. Christmas card lists might be
one of the things one gives up years ago.
But some friends and family haven't given up on people or on the
tradition of sending cards. During the holidays one can still receive a dozen
or so cards from those with better time management skills.
Even
though one might not send cards, one loves receiving them, especially ones with
photos or letters catching up on events of the past year. And it’s a strange
thing. One’s immediate response is to reconnect, to sit down and write a
Christmas message of one’s own back to the sender.
God
made the first connection with us in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve rejected
the Creator’s gifts. God then sent the covenant of the Old Testament. The
chosen people turned from God to faithlessness. Finally, God connected with
humanity by sending His only son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to redeem the world. He longs for our response of love back to
Him.
What
will be humanity’s response to God’s Christmas message?
1.
Our
first response should be to return the connection between God and humanity with
thanks and praise. (Psalm 67:3, Luke 1:46,55)
2.
When
we receive the message of salvation, we need to not only send it back but send
it out in that same joyous, grateful, and graceful manner in which it was
received. (Luke 2:17,18)
3.
We
are commanded and entrusted to send God’s message into the world.
(Matthew 28:19,20)
Questions:
1.
How
can we send the message of Christ's salvation in a joyous, grateful, and
graceful way?
2.
Who
is on our Christmas list to receive the good news of salvation?
3.
How
can we make time to send our Christmas cards to the world?
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for sending Your Son and the
gift of salvation. Help us to send out Your message to
all people everywhere. Amen.
Send
A
“Then He said to His
disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to
send out workers into His harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
I
remember way back, when I was doing my student teaching in
All
my life I wanted to be an early childhood public school teacher, never thinking
I would teach in a
Sharing
the love of Jesus Christ with the children everyday is such a blessing to
me. To be able to touch their lives in
all circumstances with the Word of God is truly a joy. Now, my Thanksgiving units reflect the true
meaning of the holiday--by giving God the glory and honor He deserves each
Thanksgiving, and each and every day.
What is there in your life that causes you to be thankful to God for
giving you the opportunities you have?
Questions:
Do
you remember to give God the glory at your Thanksgiving table and every day?
Maybe
you know someone who wants to be a teacher.
Would they consider serving in a Christian day school?
Prayer:
Dear
Lord Jesus, I need to know Your will for my life. Maybe it is not to be a teacher, but whatever
I am doing from day to day, help me give glory to You
and show others in my home and job that You are my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me when I fail to look to You in all that I do.
Amen.
Send
Send the Very Best
“Then
I heard the voice of Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’
And I said, ‘Here I am. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8)
Several
years ago a greeting card company launched an advertising campaign with the
slogan, "When you care enough to send the very best." It's a slogan that many of us, long after the
campaign's retirement, still tie to Hallmark. This particular phrase is
appropriate for a company that sells sentiment.
It says to consumers, "When you want to express your feelings in
the best and most special way, choose us."
A
greeting card arranges words and graphics in way that expresses our sentiments
better than we could ourselves. But even
the very best greeting card message is just paper and ink until someone
cares enough to send it.
As
Christians, we have the best message in the world to send — the message of
Christ as Lord and Savior written in Scripture. But this message cannot be just paper and ink. It requires someone who cares enough to
deliver it.
Who does God call upon when He wants to send the very best?
1.
Sometimes
God delivers the message in person. (Genesis 3:9-19; Genesis 6:7)
2.
Other
times He sends an angel with the good news. (Luke 1:8-11)
3.
God
also commissions us as messengers to send the good news of salvation to the
unbelieving world. (Matthew 28:19)
4.
We
are but the messengers. It is through God’s message that the world comes to
believe. (I Corinthians 2: 3-5)
Questions:
1.
What
constitutes the best in Christian messengers?
2.
What
can we do to ensure that we send the very best?
3.
Is
God calling you personally to become a messenger and to deliver the message of
salvation?
4.
How
can we become more effective messengers for Christ in our own communities and
in the world?
Prayer:
Thank
you, God, for caring enough to send the very best message, the message of
salvation in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to become messengers for you to
our community and to the world. Amen.