TEXT:
‘Go home to your friends and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you’ (Mark 5:19).
Psalm 40 has some key pointers that can help us to share our faith anywhere, anytime. When the demoniac wanted to stay with the Jesus who had delivered him, he was denied. Instead, Jesus told him to go home and tell them what great things God had done for him. Go to your home, could also read: go to your place of work; go to the golf course; go to your gym; go to your neighbour etc. Literally, wherever you go, take your story with you! Today’s Teaching highlights five things that remind us to do just that.
1. Don’t undervalue your testimony v1-3, 13-15
David said, ‘He also brought me up out of a horrible pit’. Many feel their conversion is not as dramatic as David’s and certainly not like the demoniac’s transformation, but it is still just as miraculous because it took a revelation from God for you to believe in Jesus and be saved. It can be just as powerful to share how God kept you from the horrible pit as for those He rescued out of it.
Your testimony is unique to you although it is the same Jesus for every believer. Being and remaining thankful for what God has done will help keep your testimony fresh. Learn to sing new songs of praise, for many are being written which are truly uplifting and God-glorifying, in addition to well-known hymns that have stood the test of time.
Always remember, God is the same through the good times and bad. It’s often when the going gets tough, that we start doubting God’s promises. Why not, instead, incorporate those very promises into your praises and you will soon see that God is utterly faithful when He said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5).
2. You are blessed when you make the Lord your trust – ‘Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust’ v4, 11-12
The world pities Christians, thinking they are deceived, deluded or brain-washed into thinking there is a God, and especially One who cares for them. The Bible says, ‘Only a fool would say there is no God’ (Psalm 53:1). The world may despise your faith, but one day every unbeliever will wish they had it, although by then it may be too late.
In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (See Luke 16:19-31) both died, and the rich man found himself in a place of misery and torment. He could see Lazarus being comforted. Although he had never comforted Lazarus when he begged for scraps outside the gates of his mansion, he asked him to come over and comfort him. The rich man was told a great gulf separated them. His attention then turned to his brothers as he certainly didn’t want them to end up where he was. Some try to dismiss this parable as a religious scare story but remember, Jesus is the truth, so He always spoke the truth. All we must do is heed what He said!
3. Believe what God thinks about you – ‘Your thoughts towards us … are more than can be numbered’ v5, 17
This is a wonderful promise, ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope’ (Jeremiah 29:11). We need to think the thoughts of God.
‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts’ (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT).
What you want for your future might look impossible for you to bring about, but not for God. He is for you, not against you. He’s not looking for the opportunity to put you down, but to lift you up. When you humble yourself, He will exalt you at the right time (See 1 Peter 5:6).
Once you realise that God’s thoughts are so much better than yours, you’ll have no trouble reading the Bible to discover just how good they are.
4. Don’t make the mistake of giving instead of going – ‘I delight to do your will, O my God’ v6-8
When I announced I was resigning from my retail management career to go to bible college, my father said, “Don’t give up your job, they don’t want you; give them your money instead” I replied, “They want me!” By God’s grace, I was able to leave a well-paid management career and pay to go to bible college. While not everyone is called to do that, all of us need to be careful we don’t just make an offering when we should be responding to the will of God.
The Bible says, ‘And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him’ Romans 12:1 NLT).
5. Two places to be ready to speak up for God v9-10, 16
A. In the Church – ‘In the great assembly’
Come to church ready to lift and encourage fellow believers. When you do that, you’ll find things will go better for you. Too many Christians arrive miserable and go home the same way. Yet, worshipping with a sense of thankfulness will soon change any negativity and positively influence others. Sometimes, we’re too quick to talk about our problems, rather than our blessings. The challenge for this coming Sunday is, “Who will you be a blessing to and who will be thankful that you came to church?”
B. In the World – ‘Say continually, “The Lord be magnified!”’
Some Christians are great talkers about God in church but say nothing about Him in their world of everyday lives. Surely that is wrong, for Jesus has commanded us to be witnesses wherever we are in this world. Sometimes we are put off from obeying this command by other Christians, because they don’t do it, and make excuses for not doing so. All that’s needed is a willing mind and God will bring people to us to share the gospel with.
Solomon was known for his wisdom but David for praise and worship. The more we are thankful, the easier we will find it to speak about the God to whom we are thankful. Be ready today, for that opportunity to share your faith may come when you least expect it!
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