Ezekiel 3:10 - 11 "And he said to me, "Son of man, listen...Go now to your countrymen....and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says,' whether they listen or fail to listen."
This passage seems appropriate to follow the post of August 17, 2010 titled Pass it on. Most of us want to see results. If we don't, we feel like we've failed. If our children don't attend church, if our spouses don't do as we like, if the youth in the youth group get into trouble, if things don't go as we think they should, we feel like our efforts to spread the word of God's might and God's love are in vain. We are a results-oriented culture. We give and take tests. We keep track of how many people we get through the drive through window in a certain amount of time. We count how many people we help during our busy day so others will know that we've been successful. We count. We test. We track results. We reward results with bonuses, merit raises.
But this passage tells us to go and tell regardless of the results. If we tell of God and demonstrate God's love through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we have done our part. This is like the saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. We can lead the person to Christ but only the person can accept the living water Jesus provides. That isn't our job or our responsibility. The only thing we can track is how many people we tell. How many people have you told today?
Father God, may my efforts be pleasing to You. May my obedience (when I am obedient) bring others to You so that they have the opportunity to receive the Living Water that Jesus provides. Amen.
Way to hit us where it hurts. How many people have you told today. Not enough I'm ashamed to say. -DE
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