When I was fixing my first dinner for some of our friends as a young newlywed, I was pulling the turkey out of the oven. The rack tipped and I dumped the turkey and the drippings into the back of the oven onto the heating element.
When the grease drippings hit the heat, they burst into flame! My oven instantly became an inferno! Through the glass in the oven door, I could see my poor turkey, consumed by flames. The sight of my turkey set flambé’ in the inferno of the oven, was both intriguing and frightening.
Intriguing because in the back of my mind, I knew ‘this’ could happen, yet, I didn’t think it would happen to MY turkey. There was so much to do; my busyness outweighed my concern. Intent on getting the rest of the meal taken care of, I simply hadn’t taken the time to prepare for the unexpected.
The event was frightening because there was nothing I could do but watch; helpless to rescue the flaming bird. I’d chosen convenience over sacrifice and now there was nothing I could do to intervene. It was a culinary lesson that I’ve never forgotten.
It’s easy to do the same thing with our Christian witness. We know we are to win souls for Christ. Perhaps, we’ve even taken evangelism classes. But, life is so busy and witnessing to our friends who don’t know Jesus can be so–inconvenient, even uncomfortable. We put that timely witness on our list of “things I need to do.” Let us be thankful for every opportunity to witness—and share the love of Jesus boldly–now.
Jude 1: 22-23 Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
Prayer: Father, help me to be sensitive to the voice of your Holy Spirit. Show me those who are in need of your salvation love, give me boldness to approach, words to speak, and compassion to understand. Thank you. Amen.