Posts
Pass It
On
By Susanne
Scheppmann
Key Verse:
Mark
16:15, “He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news
to all creation.” (NIV)
Devotion:
“Welcome! What can I get
for you today?”
“A large Café Americano. Extra shot, please.”
Room for cream?
Nope, just add the extra jolt of caffeine.
“OK, that will be $4.85 at the window”
The car ahead of me pulled out and turned the corner. I let my
foot off the brake and crept forward toward the drive-thru window. I fumbled
for the exact change and then I waited expectantly for the steaming brew. Coffee makes me happy!
As the sliding glass window opened, a grinning young brunette
handed me my order. As I reached to hand her my money, she said, “You don’t
have to pay. The car ahead you bought
your drink.”
I jerked my head to see who might have been in the car ahead of
me, but it was long gone. I asked, “Who
was it?”
“Oh, you probably don’t know them.
The last eleven cars have all paid for the order behind them. It’s been so fun to watch.”
Amazed, I thought I should pass on the blessing to the next
vehicle. Then this consideration spun
through my mind, “What if the order is for a whole office staff? What if it is $38.50 and not just
$3.85?”
However, the blessing had to be passed on. I said, “Well OK! I’ll buy the order behind me.” It turned out to be $4.95 and was worth the
smile on the young woman’s face behind the counter.
She giggled and turned to her co-workers, ‘Hey it’s number twelve
now! Isn’t this incredible?”
As I drove off I wished I could have seen the face of the next
coffee aficionado who was about to be pleasantly surprised.
As I pondered this quirky incident the rest of day, I felt God
teaching me a valuable lesson. Do I pass
on the blessing of Jesus to others? Do I
fear what it could cost me? I might face
rejection and ridicule. I could
embarrass myself, by not having all the right answers.
I recalled sitting around a smoky campfire with my old church
youth group. We sang with gusto, “That’s
how it is with God’s love . . . You want to pass it on.” It seemed so easy in a group singing with
passion for lost souls when there wasn’t one in sight.
So
now, how often do I pass on the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Unfortunately, not as often as I should or
could. Jesus stated, "The harvest
is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the
harvest to send out laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2 NASB).
We
are his laborers sent to spread the good news of eternal salvation through the
Lord Jesus Christ. Our key verse states
for us to “go into all the world and preach the good news.” Today my world may be my family, neighbors,
co-workers or a chance meeting in a store.
I want to pass on the Good News, no matter the cost.
Who
in your world needs more than a cup of free coffee? Let’s agree together to
pass on the love of God to a harvest of hurting people.
Prayer:
Lord,
teach me how to pass on your Good News.
Give me the courage when I feel timid to share my faith. Allow me to see beyond today’s discomfort and
the possibility of being misunderstood to the eternal blessing for others of
the knowledge of Your love. In Jesus’
Name, Amen.
Application steps:
Try
to pass on a small blessing to someone else today. Buy someone’s coffee. Treat a child to an ice cream cone. Offer to
baby-sit someone’s else’s two-year-old.
Then pay special attention to how you feel about giving the blessing.
Next
decide you need to pass on the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Ask God to reveal to you a creative way to
share the message of salvation with someone who needs eternal life.
Refection points:
When
have I been blessed unexpectedly?
Would
I have purchased the drinks in the car behind me at the drive-thru?
Am
I afraid to share my faith with others?
How
can I share my faith with creativity?
Power verses:
1
Corinthians 9:23, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share
in its blessings.” (NIV)
Matthew
28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and
on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age." (NIV)
1
John 5:11, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son.” (NIV)
Luke
10:1-2, “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by
two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told
them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of
the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (NIV)
© 2006 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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