Have you ever realized that most people just don’t think or talk like you do. You say potato, I say potahto! You say tomato, I say tomahto! Potatoe, potahto, tomato, tomahto…let’s call the whole thing off!

STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE! YOU DON’T WANT TO DO THAT!

God’s message to the energetic person who is witnessing to new converts, seasoned Believers or total strangers is to think BEFORE you speak:

Several places in the New Testament we can read of the two greatest commandments God gave to the world: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this, love your neighbor as yourself.’ Those two commandments are what is called a divine sanction. (Luke 10:27)

It means to convey a legalistic term (used in church law) the idea that mankind is ultimately answerable to God for his or her actions while here on earth. So, as a suggestion to those of you who take on the role of a missionary, it may not be necessary for you to impose your own examples or reasons why you perform some of God’s edicts the way you do. Your references or examples should always be WWJD…What Would Jesus Do!

Let’s say you are witnessing to either new believers or seasoned saints on the subject ‘Cultivating Good Relationships’ which the Apostle Paul is referring to in Romans 14:1. You are expressing your strong opinion on what foods you eat. Your choices of the intake of foods are totally different from the people you are witnessing to. You realize that this discussion is going no where, yet, you continue. Paul suggests that due to the fact that multiple backgrounds might be at play, certain meats and/or vegetables may be hindering obtaining a mutual understanding about the matter…which should be about surrendering to Christ!

What’s important in all of this is the fact that God should receive the glory at the end of the conversation and not the personal thoughts and preferences of either the speaker or the listeners. Why? Because both parties are the guests of God at his table. And God knew before he invited you both to dine with him what your food preferences were. After all, just where does that leave you if you have to condescend to another. You may look pretty silly. For it is also written in Romans; “‘As I live and breathe,’ says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; and every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I AM God,'” (The One Who Sanctions)

Now, please allow me to share a personal example with you…

In the past, I have been criticized for naming this blog, “Conversations With God Using Scripture”. It is difficult for some people to comprehend that the Holy Spirit engages me in conversations. As you know, there are numerous books out there on the subject of conversations with God. Most of them are nonfiction literature based on data collected from persons who have experienced some sort of an encounter with the Master.

I refer to these people as seekers of divine revelations. Some received a heavenly response, while others sought an explanation to their query from a friend or an acquaintance. It was the title of these books that peeked my curiosity. For, rarely do you find a book with the title embracing conversations with God actually using God’s word to speak for him. Generally, it is the author’s interpretation.

It was my desire to compose the entries for my blog posts to be a totally accurate and bold approach to use to record divine messages I was blessed to receive from on High. Hopefully, it is obvious that exhaustive research of the scriptures was necessary to compile the dialog exchanged herein. Also, one can surmise that the composer of these blogs would have to have the aid of the Holy Spirit in order to retain and or recall matching scriptures to validate what was written.

You can also imagine that as I internalized these criticisms, concerning my personal relationship with God, I began to feel low and unworthy. But then, the Holy Spirit whispered in my ear and said…WWJD? Prayerfully, I begin to reread many of my blog posts I have written in the past. While taking this stroll down memory lane, I was lifted unto heights resembling the 3rd Heaven that Paul viewed on one of his divine journeys. And I said to myself…’IF NOT ME…THEN WHO, MY LORD?’

God’s response was…My child, is not my grace sufficient? Forget about deciding what is right. Here is what you need to be concerned about: that you do not put a stumbling block in another’s path, nor make another’s life more difficult than it already is. Be more concerned about your service unto the Sovereign God and how I AM using your life to bless others as I set it right, put it together, and complete it with great joy. Keep on keeping on attending to your services for my kingdom.

My Prayer for you…

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You will give us a pure heart for those in need and clean hands that will offer them help and hope so that we will be merciful as You are merciful. May the message we relay to others always be true, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind. In Jesus’s Name I pray…Amen!

Scripture Lesson: “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1

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