Dad used to say, "Use it or lose it"

-

Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn’t shut me up; they gave me a platform! Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his prize. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose. (Philippians 1:21)

You never know what your 'platform' will be, do you? You might envision one thing, but God has a different avenue for you to explore and use as the platform by which he is glorified through your life. Paul was in prison and those who had grown close to him in his ministry were concerned that he would no longer have a 'platform' for ministry. He turns that fear around with these words: "...they gave me a platform!" Christ's messenger in life - his prize in death - no losing there, is there?

What we may not realize is that God's message within us cannot be shut off by anything man can do to us. Everything God wants to do in and through us will be done - no matter the 'platform' we may be given. The 'audience' may change. The 'method' may need a little different approach. BUT...the 'message' is still the same! There is no denying the power of Christ in a person's life when the 'platform' changes and the commitment to the message remains as steadfast and solid as ever, is there?

I wonder what 'platform' you have today and how it differs from mine. It could be you are younger, in the workforce, and 'out there' with tons of people each day, influencing and challenging each other. It could be you are retired, free to go as you please, seeing far less people, but still able to make an impact. The important thing is that we use the 'platform' we have been given. We use the power Christ brings into our lives - allowing his message to be seen and experienced through us.

What seems to get you excited and moving in life? Chances are that could be the beginning of your 'platform'. It doesn't take a license to preach and a pulpit to make an impact in this world for Jesus. It takes a commitment to his commandments, a willingness to get to know his Word, and a desire to see others find his grace. The 'platform' is up to God - we just need to be willing to be used wherever that 'platform' may be! Just sayin!

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment if this message has spoken to your heart.

Popular posts from this blog

Sentimental gush

-
9-11  So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11 MSG) Sentimental gush - that is what I kind of feel when I watch some of those sappy "and they lived happily after" love stories. Yes, I believe people can "be in love" and that "love will find a way" and all those other cliches about love. Don't think I am down on a solidly committed and growing relationship - it is just that our world often portrays love in ways that are totally gushy and then doesn't show the very 'hard' side of that loving being vital and vibrant
Read more

Is that a wolf I hear?

-
But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master. (Romans 6:23) Have you discovered that you no longer need to listen to sin tell you what to do anymore? If you are like the millions upon millions of others who have said 'yes' to Jesus, you likely still have a bit of a struggle in this area. Sin just doesn't 'go away' when you say 'yes' to Jesus - the ability for it to control you does, but the enticement to sin is still presenting itself. The issue is not whether sin still entices, it is really an issue of which voice we will listen to the most frequently! We can listen to our own inward lusts (desires), or we can listen to the sti
Read more

Not where, but who

-
It isn't where we worship - it is who we worship. It isn't about a place - it is about the heart. This Samaritan woman came to draw water from a well, but I doubt she expected this encounter with Jesus. She knew the prophets had predicted the Messiah to come, but did she know she'd encounter him at the side of the well? She just went there daily to draw the water and return to her duties back in the village. Today, she would not only be challenged by someone who knew her past, but she was being challenged to have her future changed for the better. That is how it is when we encounter Jesus - our past might have been a challenge for us, but our future doesn't have to be! “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer ma
Read more