“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” – John 2:4
I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior at the age of 12 because I was afraid of going to hell. I knew enough about it at that age to know it was not something I wanted, so being the solution guy, I did what needed to be done to ensure that I didn’t end up there. What happened over the next seven years of my life though became the foundation of who I am today. All through school, I enjoyed being involved in youth group for one reason or another. I was learning about Christ the more I hung out at church with the other kids (a dozen or so) and in doing so I was realizing that I wanted to lead them. Just a year out of high school, I still wanted to be actively involved in the youth group at First Baptist Church of Tecumseh. I was living at home while I commuted to and from college and this made it easy to remain engaged in the activities at church. One Sunday after church a young man from our youth group pulled me aside. He had been crying and his eyes were swollen and red. He was a Senior at a local high school but stood at least 8 inches taller than me. After inquiring if he was okay, he looked down at me with a big smile and his words impacted my life forever , “Thank you for sharing Jesus Christ with me. I wanted to let you know that I accepted Him as my Savior last night, because of what you said at the youth meeting, and I am going to be baptized next week.”
The funny thing is, to this day I cannot tell you what I said to that group of youth the night before. But what did happen is that something clicked inside of me and I began to realize that our purpose in life is to share Jesus Christ with others. It is the calling on every life ever born. Some stumbled upon this fact early, even in their adolescence; while some don’t realize it until they are on their death bed. We are all a part of the information and evangelism community though. At some point the opportunity will come for you to share Him with others as well. It’s important to know who He is and what salvation looks like.
Where was Jesus when he was nineteen? What about 16 or 22 or 27? We don’t know for sure do we? What we do know is that he lived in Nazareth and had likely learned the skills of carpentry from his father – Joseph. He was born during the reign of King Herod. Records tell us that King Herod died in 4 BC. You recall after the birth of the Christ child, fearing the loss of his throne, he had ordered the massacre of all children 2 years or younger. If this decree went out in his final days, then Jesus had to have been born somewhere between 6 and 5 BC. There is little known about Jesus first 30 years or so, other than Luke 2:46 which tells us that Jesus was teaching in the temple at the age of twelve. He was born with a purpose, to redeem the sins of mankind. Yet, it was not until he was in his thirties that His ministry began. Jesus, turned water to wine, at the request of his mother, despite His apparent unwillingness. This miracle is the first recorded miracle of His 3 year ministry on this earth.
The majority of Jesus life was spent preparing for His purpose. His ministry was less than 10% of His entire existence on the earth, yet it has been eternally impactful. We all are being conditioned, trained and prepared for our purpose in life. The important thing to keep in mind is that we are not in control of the timing. Only God knows the perfect timing for your contribution to His Kingdom, the key is to be ready when it happens. Being prepared takes consistency and patience. Be in His word daily; learning, growing and preparing. The day is quickly coming when He will ask you to step up, be ready.
The funny thing is, to this day I cannot tell you what I said to that group of youth the night before. But what did happen is that something clicked inside of me and I began to realize that our purpose in life is to share Jesus Christ with others. It is the calling on every life ever born. Some stumbled upon this fact early, even in their adolescence; while some don’t realize it until they are on their death bed. We are all a part of the information and evangelism community though. At some point the opportunity will come for you to share Him with others as well. It’s important to know who He is and what salvation looks like.
Where was Jesus when he was nineteen? What about 16 or 22 or 27? We don’t know for sure do we? What we do know is that he lived in Nazareth and had likely learned the skills of carpentry from his father – Joseph. He was born during the reign of King Herod. Records tell us that King Herod died in 4 BC. You recall after the birth of the Christ child, fearing the loss of his throne, he had ordered the massacre of all children 2 years or younger. If this decree went out in his final days, then Jesus had to have been born somewhere between 6 and 5 BC. There is little known about Jesus first 30 years or so, other than Luke 2:46 which tells us that Jesus was teaching in the temple at the age of twelve. He was born with a purpose, to redeem the sins of mankind. Yet, it was not until he was in his thirties that His ministry began. Jesus, turned water to wine, at the request of his mother, despite His apparent unwillingness. This miracle is the first recorded miracle of His 3 year ministry on this earth.
The majority of Jesus life was spent preparing for His purpose. His ministry was less than 10% of His entire existence on the earth, yet it has been eternally impactful. We all are being conditioned, trained and prepared for our purpose in life. The important thing to keep in mind is that we are not in control of the timing. Only God knows the perfect timing for your contribution to His Kingdom, the key is to be ready when it happens. Being prepared takes consistency and patience. Be in His word daily; learning, growing and preparing. The day is quickly coming when He will ask you to step up, be ready.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for filling each of us with a passion to serve You. You have given each of us a purpose in Your Kingdom and the desire to live within that purpose. Help us to be prepared when the opportunity arise to share Your truth with others. In Your name I pray – Amen
http://www.10minutereader.com
©Sondove Enterprises, 2011
Thank You for filling each of us with a passion to serve You. You have given each of us a purpose in Your Kingdom and the desire to live within that purpose. Help us to be prepared when the opportunity arise to share Your truth with others. In Your name I pray – Amen
http://www.10minutereader.com
©Sondove Enterprises, 2011
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