so that!

So that!  Ask yourself  this question:  Is my life a “so what?” or a “so that!”  Several years ago, I noticed my well worn Bible sitting on my bedside table.  I surveyed  my collection of prayer journals on the shelf, along with the countless Christian books I’d read.  I pondered the many times I’d seen God move in my life, sometimes miraculously.  I thought about all the answered prayers.  And I realized that if my Christian life was only about me, and my relationship with God, and my world of concerns, then so what? 

I am incredibly thankful that God blessed me with a strong and vibrant relationship with Him.  And the prayer journals carried conversations, answered prayers, and the footsteps of my walk with Christ.  The knowledge I’d gained through years of Bible study was valuable.  But as important as these blessings were, they were given to me so that I would be a blessing to others.  We are blessed by God (as Abraham learned in Genesis 12:2,3) to be a blessing.

That realization nearly twenty years ago marked a dramatic shift in how I lived out my life as a believer.  I found more and more ways to step “out of the saltshaker” and into a hurting and broken world.  There are so many that are hungry and thirsty for the good news of Jesus Christ…but are we watching?

As we approach the final chapters of John’s gospel and the end of our 21-Day Experiment, we catch a glimpse of John’s purpose in writing his account. I am struck by two things about John.  First, he’s a quiet presence in his narrative, referring often to himself in the third person.  In his eye witness account of the crucifixion of Jesus, he writes, “The man who saw it has given testimony…He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe” (John 19:35).  Second, his writings are for us.  He told his story of Jesus so that you and I and all that have come before or will come after us may believe!

John had been blessed by his relationship with Jesus and entrusted with the eye witness account of Jesus’ signs and wonders so that he would tell his story and bear witness for Christ to others. How can we do less?

Pray now for the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to someone along your path today who needs to hear your story about Jesus and how He has changed your life.  Don’t forget to remain alert so you’ll notice the opportunity when it comes!