Sowing Hope

Matthew 28:18-20

Verse 19  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,

    Children aren’t the only ones who need the gift of hope in Christ.  In fact, Jesus Himself gave us a command about giving the gift of hope to everyone.  Unlike the children we talked about yesterday, these people we are talking about today, may or may not have learned about Jesus at an early age.

    If we were to stop for a moment and try to count how many people we have interactions with in a week, we may be surprised at how fast the number grows.  Whether we are counting the members of our family, job or school, seldom do we only see a few people in a week.  And if we leave our homes at all during the week we are really going to start racking up the numbers.

    Not all interactions are lengthy, nor do they all include verbal dialog.  There is the person in line in front of us in the check out at the store and the cashier and possibly a bagger.  The attendant at the gas station and the pharmacist each give us a couple of moments in their day.  There is the bus driver or teacher, the boss or maybe the person who hired us for a service.  It doesn’t take long for those numbers to climb.

    With all those people to interact with, how do we feel we have no one to give the gift of hope to?  Maybe it is because we think we need a theological degree or that we don’t want to be thought of as odd.  Both of those are nothing but the enemy trying to keep us in fear so we don’t tell of the hope there is in Jesus.  We may also struggle with it because we think we need to make a big deal out of how we present it.

    As understandable as those reasons are, the truth is that isn’t how we have to share the hope we have in Christ.  It doesn’t need to be a big planned out event.  Something as simple as sharing a smile or opening a door for someone can be a sharing of hope if done with the right spirit and motives.  In a society where fewer and fewer people are being kind, a simple act of kindness can speak volumes.  Of course, that doesn’t mean we should never use words.  A simple word about God’s work in our life can change the way someone sees the Lord.  We don’t always know how He is using us, but He did call us to share Him with others.

Making It Personal

    What are some ways that you have shared the hope of Christ with others?  Do you do those things regularly?  How can you be better about sharing the hope you have in Him?

Making It Personal Kids

    What are some things that you do to show others about Jesus without using your words?  How do people respond when you do something for them because of Jesus?  Who do you need to show Jesus to today?

Closing Prayer

    Father, thank You for calling us into mission with You to reach others in Your name.  Help us to always be aware of who needs to hear from You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.