Day 9: Why do we need to make sharing Jesus a priority?

We have been on quite the journey of learning how to share Jesus with others. Sharing Jesus cannot be something we are willing to do when we have more time, or when our kids are grown, or when we are retired. It must be a priority in our lives regardless of age, life stage, or even full knowledge of the Bible. Jesus asks us to go and make disciples today.

For it to be a priority, we must realize people must be rescued. They need a Savior. Without a Rescuer, they will experience eternity completely separated from God’s love and grace. Hell is not a pretty place to think about. It’s overwhelming, unfathomable, and ongoing for all eternity. But it is real. And real people who aren’t rescued by a Savior go there. Engaging with others about Jesus must be a priority. Their eternity depends on it.

People aren’t rescued by those who choose comfort or what feels safe. No one is rescued by a fireman who sits at the fire station. Never has a lifeguard rescued anyone from the lifeguard chair. You cannot rescue dying people and remain in a safe place. Jesus left the safety of heaven for the pain of the cross, and then He said, “Come, follow Me.”

When the Titanic went down with its 2200 passengers, 1500 died. There were 20 lifeboats, only half enough, and even those were just half full when launched. Hundreds of people got lifejackets that night, yet three days later, funeral ships came to retrieve 328 men, women, and children, floating in life jackets, frozen to death. These people didn’t die because the Titanic sank. They died because the people who were already saved wouldn’t turn around their lifeboats to go back for them.

Will you move beyond a safe and comfortable place to bring Jesus to others?

I want to end our devotional with a quote from a famous atheist, Penn Jillette. He illustrates why we need to make evangelism a priority. He said on YouTube:

“I’ve always said I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize (share their faith). I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward –how much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”

Reflect on these questions:

• What can you do to make sharing Jesus a priority in your life?
• Who do you want to converse with next about Jesus?

If people’s salvation is more important than saving their physical lives, we must prioritize it. Let us pray and reflect on all we have learned, and invite the Holy Spirit to help us to make sharing Jesus with others a priority…

For a further resource on how to share your faith, check out Holly’s book Follow My Lead: Experience the Extraordinary Life of Sharing Jesus with Others at www.hollymelton.org