Open the door to a watershed event
Once a minister was heavily criticized for ripping out some pages of the Bible while preaching. The parishioners were very upset, which is understandable.
The minister said that we read the Bible the way we want, just reading the nice and pretty parts. We don’t read those parts that crash against us. We do not read those parts that confront our way of life. We don’t read the verses that show us the other side of God, the side we are afraid of.
When we only read the nice parts of the Bible, that minister is actually right. We might as well rip the others out of the Bible. Why leave them when they really have no meaning for us?
That’s why I’m not going to skip this verse: 31He was quite explicit: “Vengeance is mine, and I will overlook nothing” and “God will judge his people.” Nobody gets by with anything, trust me.
One Sunday afternoon I woke up suddenly from a nap. Covered in sweat from a nightmare, well, it was probably a nightmare. A bad one. One where you’re so glad you woke up, but you can’t shake your spirits. It stays lower than low. Bad things are trapped in your body and affect your entire mood.
Well, if you’re not right with God, you’ll feel a lot worse.
It is a matter of life or death. You can choose, and I suspect that if you are reading this, you have chosen life. It will not be a nightmare for you. You know for a fact that you are right with God, that Jesus died for all of his sins and that his place in heaven has already been prepared.
Those people who are not reading this have problems. A big surprise awaits them. No, rather a big scare! And there will be no chance to turn around. There will be no escape. it will be final.
People often experience defining events in their lives. Something that turns his life upside down. Maybe you can make something like that happen in someone else’s life. Maybe you will be the one to speak up in someone else’s life to prevent that worst-than-nightmare event in their life from happening.
Someone told me about a course they did on the subject: How to speak in people’s lives. Keep throwing the bait. At some point or another, when that person is ready, they will grab the hook. Because how are they going to take the bait if we don’t throw it away?
Ask questions like: What if there really is a God? Have you ever thought what would happen if we had to lay our heads down forever here on earth? Be subtle.
People long for God, a place of belonging. Some don’t even know it. But if we make ourselves available and create a safe space for those people, maybe one day they’ll catch the bait and open the door for a watershed event.
Holy Scripture
Hebrews 10:32-39
Reflection
Are you ready to meet your Father?
Are those around you ready?
Is there someone you should be baiting for?
Prayer
Father, for many people around me things are not going well. When my life is over, so is my chance to tell people about you, and when their lives are over, so is their chance to listen to you. Show me how to love them and how I can be your ambassador. In the name of Jesus. Amen.