Sharing God’s Love

Article #71 by Jennifer on Sunday, February 01, 2009 at 04:56 PM

The Soul-Winner’s Prayer

Oh, give me, Lord, Thy love for souls,
For lost and wand’ring sheep,
That I may see the multitudes
And weep as thou dids’t weep.
Help me to see the tragic plight
Of souls far off in sin;
Help me to love, to pray, and go
To bring the Wand’ring in.
From off the altar of Thy heart
Take Thou some flaming coals,
Then touch my life and give me, Lord,
A heart that’s hot for souls.
O Fire of Love, O Flame Divine,
Make Thy abode in me;
Burn in my heart, burn evermore,
‘Til I burn out for Thee.

~Author Unknown

Share the Music

Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world-famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts and compostions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he wasn’t able to buy it.
Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he returned to the seller, hoping to purchase the beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector. Kreisler made his way to the new owner’s home and offered to buy the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and he would not sell it.
Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea. “Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?” he asked. Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector’s emotions were deeply stirred. “I have no right to keep that to myself,” he exclaimed. “It’s yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it.” (Our Daily Bread, February 4, 1994.)
When you think about it, we at times are like the collector in this story. We all have a beautiful gift as Christians. We have the gift of salvation and with this gift come the songs of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These gifts are just too valuable to keep to ourselves.
Andrew understood the importance of sharing a wonderful gift. If you will remember in John 1:35-42, Andrew learns tht Jesus is the Messiah. And rather than keeping this information to himself, v v. 41-42 says, “The FIRST thing he did was to find his brother Simon, and tell him, “We have found the Messiah”. And he BROUGHT him to Christ.”
The gift of this knowledge was just too good to keep to himself. Rather than place the violin of the Savior on the shelf of his heart, he shared the gift with someone who cold make gospel music with it. And did Peter make the music? Peter became one of the leading public figures in the New Testament church. Sharing this knowledge with Peter is the most significant act we know of in the life of Andrew.
For many of us, preaching and teaching may not be our God-given talent. But God has not left us without ways to share the gift of Jesus. So many around us need a smile more than a sermon and a hug more than an explanation of Acts. So many need the encouraging example of a life well-lived, to the tune and the beat of the Savior’s love. A life dedicated to sharing the music. The gift of Salvation is ours - “take it into the world,
and let people hear it.” Share the music. ~Devin LaBay

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Friendship

Friendship is one of those invaluably special gifts God grants. Be grateful for your friends and strive to strengthen the bond you have with them. Being surrounded by people who love and care for you, people connected by blood and by heart, brings a joy and completeness to life that cannot be substituted. ~Jeff Foster (Bulletin Digest)

Read Through The Bible in 2009

FEBRUARY
Week 1: Acts 1-14
Week 2: Acts 15-28
Week 3: Romans 1-16
Week 4: 1 Corinthians 1-16