"He will punish those who do not know Him and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power."--2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
I was studying for my Life and Teachings of Paul class in which I was having to dissect one of Paul's letters, 2 Thessalonians. And as many times as I have read each of his letters in the past, it never fails that I find many things that I had never noticed or had forgotten. This time was no different. I came across this passage and literally got chills.
I will be very raw with you, I have felt very stale with my witnessing lately. I beg of God to provide me with "opportunities" to spread His Word and instantly am reminded that every person I come into contact with is an "opportunity". And let me tell you, I come into contact with many people every day that needs the Word of God urgently.
And then I read this verse that I have read many times before and brushed it off..but then I realized what my lack of witnessing is actually doing. I am contributing to them "being punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power." What in the world?! Every day that I sit silently in class, every day that I don't eat lunch with the girl eating alone, and every day that I come to work just to "get my work finished" puts non-believers one day closer to being shut out from the presence of the Lord. Being shut out from the presence of my Lord is the worst thing that I could ever imagine. Yeah, Hell--it's a fire pit. But, more than that, it's COMPLETE SEPARATION FROM GOD. Can it get any worse than the fact that I'm helping them become separated?
After I reflected on this passage, a new coach in the office came by and asked me about my water bracelet that I got at Passion. I explained what it was about and he went on to tell me that he had a couple of the Passion CD's and we talked about the churches we attend. Nothing else happened, no one asked me anything else. BUT, I know that God used that moment to show me that that's how lazy I have been, it's so simple. Just talk to people, be real with people, have conversations..and God will provide a way to talk about Him.
I have these moments often, and I'm not saying that I will never be stale again, because unfortunately, I am human. But, God always convicts me, and as bad as it makes me feel, I'm so thankful for it. Because I know that the Holy Spirit is working inside of me..it's not my conscience, but the Holy Spirit that God has given to me. But, I am going to try to remember this verse and remind myself that every day I'm silent, I am putting non-believers one day closer to eternal separation from our Father.
"He will punish those who do not know Him and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power."--2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
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Hey! I found your blog through Kelly's Korner- just looking for a few new ones to read and found yours. This post is SO insightful and challenging-thanks for sharing your conviction- it inspired me to stop being so shy and to SHARE God with those who need it most! :)
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