Have you ever bargained with God? “God I need to get this grade on this assignment. If you give me strength and the intellect to succeed, I’ll…” or perhaps even “Save me and I’ll...”. But the reality is that this is not receiving what God wants to give, it’s what we think we deserve to have because we fulfilled our part of the transaction. Romans 4 refers to salvation as a gift, not something as you work for.
The primary reason why many Christians never share their faith - or at least struggle to do so - is because it's awkward, scary, and a bit confronting. And for those who are introverts the struggle can be even worse! But have no fear, below I share with you what I have found to be the introverts awesome guide to sharing your faith. (note: the guide is not just for introverts. Works for everyone.)
Lets be real. Half of us don't memorize scripture. Many have not even memorized a new verse in the last year. How come? Why is it that something as important to our spiritual development is left undone? A million answers can be given to this such as wrong priorities, spiritual indifference or "coldness", daily distractions, business, etc. And while all of these are true I would like to propose the reason why I have always hated memorizing scripture: The reference.
Growing in Jesus is so simple our human tendency for complexity and weirdness and mysterious gets in the way. Study the Bible. Talk to God. Share His love. Serve others. Stay in community. That's it. And its so ridiculously simple, we simply don't do it.
Hey guys! Pastor Marcos here. Just wanted to drop a quick thought on creating a culture of belonging in our homes, church, and social spaces. This blog is one of many I'll be writing this year to help encourage and inspire you guys to reflect the love of God in your youth ministry. So here's to number one:
Welcome to the Livingston blog. We hope you will be blessed by the reflections that you find here and thought a good place to start was by simply sharing what we, at Livingston church, are all about.
