October 1, 2021
Living Sent....
We are discovering part of the season we are in is getting to know our neighbors. God has planted us strategically in the way of broken people needing to see Jesus and the Gospel lived out! They have heard, but they need to see it in action! Some need to just talk out their struggles and know someone cares enough to listen to them.
Living sent means we have to be intentional in walking out what we believe where we live!
But..this ministry does not come without a cost!
What does it cost? Time. Time with God and time to do that listening. Time spent with your neighbors. Being outside. Being available. Praying for open doors to listen to people and their story and to share your life with them. Share your story with them. Invite them for a cookout! Be friendly. In a world where pride and assumption run wild, people need to see humble authenticity. We need to be genuine in our life before others. How? Be faithful to your word. When you say you will pray for someone, stop in the moment if you can, and pray for them.
If you say you want to have them over, set the date in that instant or check your calendar as soon as you can. Dont be the person (Christian) who always says they want to get together, and then doesnt follow through.
God will use us if we are willing to set aside our own agenda and genuinely love people. And it may be messy, uncomfortable, and a sacrifice! Actually, it will be all of those things! Ha! When the Lord brings to mind someone, its the least we can do to pray for them and send a text. Because for many people life is scary right now, and awfully lonely in the midst of our current atmosphere.
Its such a blessing to feel included in a church family and be reached out to here and invited into circles and homes. God is meeting our needs here in many different ways and one such way is through the hospitality of believers. Ever so thankful to be included, to be sought after, to be loved. … And...if I need that, as confidant as I am in Christ, how much more does the world outside need that kind of love and inclusion?
By the way...this challenges me as much as it may challenge you! Its a new season, and God's grace is for you just as it is for us. He leads us besides still waters, to restore our souls so that...we can be who He calls us to be. How my heart cries out, "Lord, restore my soul!"
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