Bible
Verse: “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective
for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of
Christ.” Philemon 1:6
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As
I was reading the letter/prayer to Philemon from Paul, verse 6 made me think of
the childhood song “This little gospel light of mine”. Paul’s prayer for Philemon is that he would
share his faith, do so effectively and for the sake of
Christ. We too are asked to share our
faith and to let it shine all the time.
The
word “sharing” means fellowship.
Philemon shares his faith while in fellowship with other believers. If you read further into the chapter of
Philemon, you will see that he has a home church and that his kindness has
often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.
The
word “effective” suggests a certain type of energy or power, that is strong
enough to bring about change. Hebrews
4:12 say’s “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-sided
sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.”
When
we share our faith with others in our lives, whether it is our family, friends,
co-workers, church members or strangers, we are sharing the genuineness of our
trust and belief in Christ, and doing so in a way that allows others to embrace
our Lord.
Matthew
5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
For
me, sharing my faith with others is easier in small, intimate times of
conversations. My friends often call me “councilor”
as I am their go to person when they are going thru tough times and wanting a
voice of encouragement.
One
of those intimate times of conversation happened on an evening that my husband
and I were shopping in Kirkland’s. Let
me tell you the story:
The
hunt was on, my purpose was clear. I was
out to find just the right lamp, that perfect piece that would dazzle and shine
in my home. It was here that I ran into
a woman I knew from church. We immediately
started talking about our recent experience in the bible study we were in. I asked her about a recent situation in her
life that she had shared in our prayer time, and before I knew it, we were
standing in Kirkland’s, amongst the dazzle and shine of the lamps, crying and
praying together about her situation.
This
moment of fellowship with my sister in Christ, allowed me to effectively share
God’s love with her. This little gospel
light of mine, I’m going to let it shine……. That day in my hunt for the perfect
lamp, God’s love was the dazzle and shine that we needed and our Father in
heaven was glorified.
How
does your life shine for God? What are
some of the ways we can share our faith with the people in our lives? How can we be more effective in sharing our
faith with others?
Heavenly Father, thank you
for being the dazzle and shine in our lives!
May the power of your word continue to be alive and sharper than a
two-sided sword in our ministry. Help us
to be brave enough to let our little gospel light shine continuously and
without hesitation. Amen
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