Sometimes God reveals the obvious to me, and I wonder why I never understood it before. As I was walking with my dog this morning, I ran into one of my neighbors. After a brief conversation, we both continued our walks. I have prayed for this neighbor on several occasions. I wondered how I could really minister with such encounters.
Then it dawned on me. God is not calling me to quote Bible verses to everyone I meet. He is not asking me to give money to everyone I meet, nor to pray with, talk to, or invite to church everyone I meet.
He is calling me to be Christ to everyone I meet. I need to be so filled with Jesus that his love overflows from me. As Jesus met people on the street, he ministered to them in different ways. Some he healed, some he comforted, some he challenged, so he taught, some he rebuked. To all of them, he showed love.
As I encounter people, I need to let Jesus work through me. I need to be so in tune with the Spirit that he uses me to show his love. Because of the life of Christ in me, I can be Christ to those around me. Because he gave his life for me, and placed his life in me, the life of Jesus can flow from me to everyone around me.
So I am free to serve Christ by surrendering to his Spirit. Through me, then, Jesus can share his love – through words, actions, gifts, prayers, and presence.
My job is to be Jesus to those I meet every day. He can then pursue them with his Spirit’s power and bring them into his kingdom.
It’s so obvious.
