John 6:26 (NIV®)
“Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”
Are you like me? My guess is you are. Slow to believe all the hype about so many things. Slow to “buy in” to what someone else says that seems farfetched. I think it must be a natural human trait. We all think we know the truth. We all think we know how it really is. We are usually slow to believe without experience.
You could tell me that you saw the greatest car in the world… color, engine, mph, SPEED, and of course reliability… and I might believe you because you are a friend. If you are a stranger – I would just take that information under consideration. After all, I’m having to take your word for it and I don’t have any history with a stranger to believe or disbelieve what he says. I have history with a friend… so I’m more apt to believe what a friend says is true. Aren’t you that way?
Well, I have driven the car. I have moved beyond the test drive phase and am fully “bought in”. I’m not looking for Christ to do something to prove He’s real… I have tasted. The Lord has been good to me. He is more than a theoretical idea that someone is talking about on the television or podcast. He is real because I have the life that He has freely given me. I am forgiven, redeemed, made whole, and free to live the life He has for me. I believe because I am living it. What about you?
I encourage you to take the opportunity this Christmas season to share with others the life that you have found in Christ. Give them the opportunity to hear about Christ from someone who is living it. Don’t just talk about the gifts under the tree; talk about the gift of God’s son. Don’t just talk about the feasts and being filled with food; talk about the opportunity for a relationship with God that feeds our souls. You might be surprised who in your circle of friends might believe what you tell them. You might be surprised who will open up and share their need for a Savior.
Do not let these days pass without thanking God for the gift of His Son and telling someone else how He has changed your life. My childhood pastor used to say that sharing Christ is “just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread”. Friend or stranger, tell them all! We can attest to the fact that God is not smoke and mirrors, not fable or tale, but REAL. We know for a fact He is real because we have eaten and are filled. Now share it.