How are you at showing Jesus to others?? How are you at telling others about Jesus?? I know this will come as a shock to some of you.....but, I'm all about being a bit more real here on the ole blog each week. Why do I want to do that?? It's simple. I'm wanting to show others how dependent I am on Jesus. I have this new motto that I throw around here and there...and, it can be tough to swallow at times.....
"It's not about me."
We all battle some selfishness, don't we?? You better believe it. Just this past weekend, we were in Memphis celebrating a birthday and Valentines Day and we did some shopping. OH MY WORD.....I wanted everything. EVERYTHING. ME ME ME ME....GIMME GIMME GIMME.
Not realistic, but it is something we all battle and deal with. We can't have everything. It can't be all about me.
So...as I try to take my eyes off myself and focus more on Jesus, something I wrote down in Bible study last week has stuck with me. And, here it is...
"When we lose our identity of who we really are, our testimony is lost."
Huh? What?? But, I'm trying to get the focus off me and onto Him. That sentence just told me that is about me. Then, I remembered what our amazing teacher, Beth Moore, had to teach us in the little bible study called Esther.
Remember, destiny appoints one but affects many. What God sends out to do in one person, many people will be affected.
How?? By what we say and do. For those of you that are on the more private side, help me out.....
People not only need to see us being good, doing good, saying good. People need to hear how Jesus impacted us, affected us, and is currently changing our life. If we are to be set apart from the world, then don't we need to do both?? We need to share our testimony and live it out in what we say and do. In order to bring others to Christ and fullfill our destiny, we will need to be transparent.
God has taken me OUT OF A PIT, and I will never forget that. If I can share exactly how He did that....bring it on!! I'd love to share exactly where I was, who I am today, and why I can't live a day without Him. Give me an opportunity, and I'm ready with what to say. Are you?
So, how are you at showing and telling others of just how far you've come? Are we willing to be vulnerable enough in the Name of Christ?? Are we telling others about Jesus or simply counting on our actions to seal the deal?
Love to hear what you think!
Hugs and blessings~
Monday, February 16, 2009
It IS about me. It's NOT about me.
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13 comments:
Thank You Fran! Since I began blogging In January - the more I write about Jesus - the more it spills over into every area of my life. I just can't stop talking about my loving, merciful, gracious, FAITHFUL God! I can't help myself! God has been and IS so good to me! How can I keep from shouting HIs praises!
Blessings - lisa
I'll be real honest and tell you that I'm still more comfortable in the writing than in the telling. I always come away feeling like I forgot something important or said something stupid! However, I'm learning that if I'm just obedient to speak, God will anoint the words. After all, it's not about ME. :o)
Love you,
Melinda
Here are my thoughts, if Jesus has healed you, touched you, or done anything for you, you meaning all of us, we should be excited to tell everyone!! For the blogs, it is easier to share in better detail about the way Jesus has touched our lives and how he took a mess of a person and turned me around but I think we get a little more nervous if we are in front of a person or people. Just a fear thing that we need to pray help over and ask for the freedom to share our testimony. On the other side, I have shared my testimony in front of 400 plus down to a classroom of people and I will pick the bigger crowd any day. LOL
I get so nervous before I get up there that I think I may have to give my testimony from the bathroom but once I get up there and start speaking the Holy Spirit takes over and I come down not remembering much of what I said. Has that ever happened to you? :)
He is Good. We need to exalt Him in front of family, friends, strangers, everyone!
Love you,
Patty
p.s. did you get our message this morning?
Hi Fran! I'm so happy to have found your blog (via Twitter)! Your family is beautiful!
Love this post and oh how true. I definitely struggle with being too self~focused. And what a tragedy that is when we lose opportunities to share our Daddy in Heaven with others. I know the enemy loves when we forget who we are in Christ.
Thanks for this great post today... Have a wonderful start to your week!
Great post Fran. My pastor used to say when we go out we don't need to remember who we are but "Whose" we are.
Blessings,
Linda
I learned a long time ago that I cant always depend on my actions to tell people about Jesus, because frankly sometimes my actions just dont glorify Him......how's that for honesty??? ;-) So, it's best for me to tell people what the Lord has done for me instead of letting my actions do the talking........
Fran, I love your brute force honesty with yourself. We are all influenced by each other, too, as we share what Christ means to us.
We all need to share the goodness of Jesus with each other my friend.
There is definitely still a lot of fear about being completely transparent and I've wrestled with how I want to discuss and share Christ in my blog. At the end of the day, he is my heart. He is shaping my every thought and I see everything I write about through his lens. Couldn't agree more that each day I write, I get more comfortable with sharing the Gospel in my posts. Looking forward to the same growth in my conversations and relationships. Thank you for you encouragement.
http://chrissulli.blogspot.com
In my current season of ministry/job/life and even my generation, I know that I can live nothing less than an authentic life in front of the whole body. And the "unchurched." The girls, especially. One thing I've learned about my generation is that we don't put up with fake. I don't either! We can sense it from a mile away, and will tune somebody out the minute they put on their "church voice" or "church look."
With that observation of not only myslef but the girls I work with, I truly have to live an authentic life in front of them. The good, bad and the ugly. It's hard at times, but it is the ONLY way I will get through to them. And of course, this goes with my words, actions, devotion time, teaching time and whatever else comes along with life.
So, since I won't put up with fake, I am sure not going to live fake.
My goal is to just be authentic and relevant with them!
Wow, sorry for the book of a comment! But, I am just so there right now! :)
Love, love!
P.S. I sure hope that made one iota of sense to you. And that it didn't sound rude! That is my only grief with blogging, people can't hear my tone so it comes out more awkward sometimes!
Fran, when God sent you my way, I needed to hear a story like yours real bad and you opened up your heart to me. I needed a person who had been delivered from a pit to tell me they were out and Jesus pulled them out. My Emily is still deep, deep in the pit. I admit sometimes I feel hopeless. I see such darkness all around, holding her there. It is so horrible to see. If she would only experience the freedom just for a minute she would know the peace and forgiveness that only Jesus gives.
Telling is what he comnanded us to do. I've told my husband this just recently. I find it the hardest to talk to my adult wayward children about Jesus more than anyone. I'm trying to figure it out. Is it satan? Am I trying not to push them away more? I just know I can talk to almost anyone else but them. I'm just being real.
You are so dear to me. I am forever grateful.
janel
Great post Fran! I just want to live a transparent life to glorify God and to take away things the evil one uses against me. I'm selfish, self-centered and self-absorbed when I try to run things. It's only when I let Christ in and submit my will to His great will that I begin to live for Him in a real way.
I love blogging, writing, and talking --and I want everything I do to glorify Him, but there are many times when nothing that comes from me glorifies anyone but me.
What can I say, I'm a work in progress.
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