Daily devotional, May 15, 2024 Laser pointer
"And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also."
2 Timothy 2:2
My student life was during the time of acetate and projectors. Of laser pointers that guide through our teacher’s lessons. As young pupils, me and my classmates were amazed with the power of that tiny pen that showed a red dot at the backdrop of the notes projected on the white wall. It marks where we have to read, and gives us a reference of what our teacher is talking about.
And just like all the tools in this world, misuse of it by pointing it in the wrong direction could not just distract students, it could even damage eyesight.
As followers of Jesus, we have the duty of becoming laser pointers for Christ. That we point people towards Him and His words. No matter where we are in our faith journey, we have to remember that we have the responsibility to help the lost to find Jesus.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
One of the things that hinder us from following the Lord’s commissioning of us as mentioned in the above verse, is not having the confidence to teach others about God’s word. We think that before we can share the Gospel we must have expert understanding of the Bible. And while this may be true for church leaders, we must also remember that Jesus tells us to share what we know about Him to those that we meet. And yes, this is true even if it is just our first days of following and surrendering our life to Him.
The new testament shares the stories of various characters who have encountered our Messiah, and was told to tell others about Him. The Samaritan woman in the well who in spite of having five husbands, and only one encounter with Christ, shared her experience of Him to her townmates:
"Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word." John 4:39-41
And then there was the story of the demon-possessed man from Gerasene who wanted to go with Jesus after He healed Him:
"As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged Him that he might be with Him. And He did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled."
Mark 5:18-20
Given the above examples, we should then not be adamant or shy to share the gospel with others. If we are not too sure how to go about it, we can start with telling our friends and family how Jesus has changed our life. We can testify to them and then moving forward exert effort to equip ourselves with the ability to confidently share the gospel.
We can do this by:
1. Growing our faith in Christ through daily quiet time, bible reading, and reflection.
2. Joining bible study groups and enrichment classes.3. Weekly worship and carefully listening to the word of God and its explanation.
When we seek God and abide in His love, we too will be able to point other people to Jesus. It is the best help that we can give to the depressed and anxious. It is the greatest gift we can ever give our children, our family, friends, and colleagues.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
John 14:12-13
So even if it was just our first encounter with the Lord, and we have yet to know everything about Him, we should remember that God is not looking at what we know rather He is counting on our availability and willingness to share the good news. He looks towards our availability for Him and not our ability, because He promises to equip us if we are just willing to serve Him and others.
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on 2 Timothy 2:1-9 and John 4:7-30 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Have you tried sharing the gospel to others? If not yet, what is hindering you from doing so?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, I want to follow your command to share the Good News with others. Give me the confidence and the ability to do so, so that I could tell them how you have changed my life. I want others to experience your abiding presence, and the peace and joy that only you can give. Amen.
