 |
| www.pnterest/com |
Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32 (KJV)
Also, I say unto you, whoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: Luke 12:8 (KJV)
These are two passages written in the gospel accounts of the ministry of Jesus Christ. He said the words from Matthew to the disciples as he sent them out. Luke records words Jesus spoke to a multitude of people.
Have you ever wondered what it means to confess? We hear of people confessing to breaking laws. In that sense, it means to admit to a wrong. However, when we read it in God’s word, it has a different meaning: to acknowledge something.
How can we acknowledge Christ in our 21st Century world? We do this through belonging in and participating in (as much as we can) a local church. We stand for Jesus by praying for those who hurt, struggle with issues and those who have lost their way.
When we acknowledge or confess our own needs to Jesus, He can then take that problem from us and either resolve it or guide us through to the outcome He wants us to achieve.
In both of these passages, Jesus uses the phrase, “Before men.” How can we acknowledge that we belong to Christ to others? I try to tell the cashiers and the sack persons at our local grocery store to be blessed as I depart the check-out line. This store is a very busy place. And I am aware that these workers deal with all sorts of people while doing their jobs. Sometimes, certain ones thank me for my words.
I used to ask the women who helped me at the pharmacy if they had to work on the upcoming weekend. Sometimes, I would ask how late they had to work that day. I say ‘used to’ because the ones I came to know are no longer there.
It came to me as I wrote this that I have a new set of women to let know that I care about them and desire to have them blessed by God.
One time when I was just a young ordinary girl at the mall, a woman I knew from a church I had attended years before and her friend asked me if they could pray for me. I said yes and they did, right there in the middle of the mall, and I didn't care who saw. Their prayers were answered and...I am just realizing at this moment, are still being answered... You can make a big difference to ordinary girls, quiet. I am not ordinary anymore! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sandi, for your story and your encouragement. Prayers, wherever we receive them, are precious. God does answer them.
DeleteYes, our work is never done. There are always new people brought into our web of influence...and God expects us to respond to His call to reach out to them with His love in one way or another. Thank you for this insightful post. It is a good reminder to be Christ to everyone we meet, wherever we go. Thank you for this reminder today. I needed to be reminded.
ReplyDeletePam, Sometimes, people return to our web of influence. I had to take Hubby to the ER this morning. While we were there, some people we used to go to church with came because the wife got sick while they were in church. Later, our pastor came and saw us. I told him about the other couple being there. They were in our church service this morning.Not for sure how long they have been back but I am glad they are. I told the husband, that we would be praying.
DeleteA B C - this is how I always remembered how it broke down when I'd witness to people. I have a tendency to overthink things and this helped me keep it simple. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Have a good weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Karen, for your thoughts. A lot of us have this tendency to overthink things. I had to put Hubby in the hospital today. I have to take this one step at a time.
DeleteHi Cecelia! I think it's great that your writing this post gave you the insight to make new friends at the store. I try to ask a question like you do, at the checkout. It humanizes our interaction, and I feel like we are 'people', not just a blank customer. Keep doing it!
ReplyDeleteYou and your husband are in my prayers. I hope he's home and doing well.
Blessings,
Ceil
Thank you, Ceil. I am still somewhat down with the Influenza A. It's been a long stretch.
Delete