SEARCHLIGHT
Do you live with the intention of communicating the Good News of Jesus Christ by your life, your lips, your walk, and your talk?
SCRIPTURE
"THEN HAGGAI, THE LORD’S MESSENGER, GAVE THIS MESSAGE OF THE LORD TO THE PEOPLE: “I AM WITH YOU,” DECLARES THE LORD." HAGGAI 1:13
SPOTLIGHT
As I flew 35,000 feet in the air on a 737 from Denver to Newark, I had the privilege of conversing with a Muslim named Idrees who was a civil engineer in New York City. His homeland was Pakistan and he told me much about his Islamic religion. There are two groups: Sunni and Shia. He was a member of the former and he made it clear that the latter represented radical groups. Idrees prayed 5 times a day to Allah. When he went to the mosque, his worship included covering parts of his face with ashes. He believed there is a heaven and the only way he could get there was by what he does and the type of person he is.
The opportunity for me to become the Lord’s messenger came when he indicated that there was not much difference between Islam and Christianity. I shared that there was one fundamental difference. I did not get to heaven by what I did or who I was. It was not a matter of me being a good person but instead realizing that I am a sinner who cannot earn his way into God’s presence by practicing the Golden Rule. Only by accepting Jesus Christ as my personal Savior do I gain entrance into heaven. My sin separated me from God. I deserved punishment but Jesus had died for me and my sin. Then He had risen from the dead proving He is God who had become my substitute. My friend, Idrees, was greatly surprised at my explanation and I have prayed that someday he would be convinced by the Holy Spirit so that he can be assured of experiencing everlasting life.
ARE YOU GOD’S MESSENGER? Haggai, the prophet, was. Not only was he called “the prophet” but also given the high privilege of being known as “the Lord’s messenger.” [see Haggai 1:1; 2:1,10; 1:13] This term meant that this was his life’s occupation and work. He knew he had been sent by God to deliver God’s messages [see Haggai 1:12] He only declared messages from the Lord. There was no doubt in his mind that God had commissioned him to become God’s mouthpiece. Haggai gave 4 messages, each of which he introduced by the phrase, “the word of the Lord.” [Haggai 1:1; 2:1,10,20] In addition, the phrase “this is what the Lord Almighty says” is recorded 29 times in this book. Obviously, this repetition indicated that Haggai believed his message had great urgency.
Jesus Christ, the living God, has called you to be His messenger until He returns. Just like Haggai, He has sent you. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commissioned you to become His messenger. He wants you to consider your life’s work and occupation to be His bearer of the Gospel. That is the only message you need to proclaim. Reach, teach, and preach the Good News of salvation. And do it with great confidence by knowing that God is with you [Haggai 1:13], you need not fear [Haggai 2:5], God will bless you [Haggai 2:19], and you have been chosen by God. [Haggai 2:23]
As the Lord’s messenger, learn to create opportunities to share the Gospel. Some people have used their license plates to convey the message like “R U 4 GOD; 2 GOD I O; R U 4 GIVN.”
The fact is you are God’s mouthpiece. You are His communicator. God has given you a great privilege to show and speak about God’s love for everyone.
Do you know that you may be around people who could experience a stroke? I received an email informing me how to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. By remembering the letters S, T, R, T which stand for Smile, Talk, Raise both arms, and Tongue, I was commissioned to spot people who may be moments away from experiencing a stroke. I was taught to (1) ask the person to Smile, (2) ask the person to Talk a simple, coherent sentence, (3) ask the person to Raise both arms, and (4) ask the person to stick out his/her Tongue.
Can you recognize a person who needs a personal life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ? You are surrounded by people just like this. You can identify them by the letters S,T,R,T which stand for (1) no Smile or joy, (2) nothing good to Talk or say, (3) no excitement or enthusiasm to Raise their arms and (4) nothing nice said by the Tongue. Certainly, you know people like this. You are God’s messenger to them. Jesus has sent you to share the Gospel. Live with the intention of sharing the Good News by your life and lips, your walk and talk.
SOMETHING TO DO
- Look up the Bible verses from the above devotional to reinforce what God is saying to you.
- Think of 4 people who fit the S,T,R,T profile. One is known for not smiling. Another is known for negative talk. The third is known for lacking enthusiasm and the fourth is known for a foul tongue. Now begin to pray for them and also seek opportunities to be God’s Good News messenger in their lives.
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, I choose to be Your messenger. You have changed my life for the good. You have changed what needed to be changed and what I could never have changed myself. I am blessed by You. I am so thankful You have changed my heart, my attitude, and my way of thinking. Help me to be Your messenger in sharing the life changing Good News. AMEN!