“Just by changing the life of one through a simply spoken word, you can change the lives of many.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today –May 9, 2023
Like apples of gold in settings of silver, is a word spoken at the proper time. Proverbs 25:11, NASB
When I was younger, for many years I wished I could work in full-time ministry. I felt that if I wasn’t doing so, that I wasn’t serving the Lord and that my life was purposeless and a waste.
Many people feel the same. They wish they could serve in formal ministry, too. They think, “I am disqualified from doing impactful good for God because of my job.” But this simply isn’t true, and here’s why:
1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
Good news! As a believer in Christ, the same power that raised Christ from the dead has taken up residence in you! This means that a powerful move of God can happen wherever you are. “Church” can happen at the grocery store, inside your delivery truck, or while you’re teaching kids or college students.
Wherever you step is holy ground, because God is within you! Jesus is ready to teach you what to say and when to say it. He wants to use you to be a difference maker in someone’s life just by sharing an encouraging word. As you listen to the Lord, He can speak through you.
In his book, Draw the Circle, Mark Batterson relays a story told by Lori Beth Jones about a boy whose life was changed through a simple interaction with a local dry cleaner.
I grew up in an alcoholic household where I never heard a positive word. On my way home from school I would always stop in at Jimmy’s, the local dry cleaner, because he kept candy on the counter. He got to know me, and told me one afternoon, “Michael, you are a very smart boy. Someday you are going to run a very big business.” I would listen to him in disbelief and return home only to get called a “dog” and knocked around by my dad. But you know . . . Jimmy the dry cleaner was the only person I can remember believing in me . . . Today I run a multimillion-dollar healthcare organization, just like Jimmy predicted. I guess you could say that a dry cleaner was the prophet in my life.
According to Batterson, “. . . Your words have the potential to change lives by helping people discover their identity and destiny in Jesus Christ.”
If you feel called to missions, that’s fabulous! But you don’t have to travel long distances for opportunities to share Christ’s love. You can share with your neighbors, the gas station cashier, or the little boy who visits your dry-cleaning store.
To speak words of life to others, all you need to do is listen to the Holy Spirit who is living within you and look for opportunities to share His love. The Lord will show you who to share with as you listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Just by changing the life of one through a powerful word, you can change the lives of many.
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31b).
Prayer
Lord, help me to live in anticipation each day, knowing that there are people right in front of me you want me to encourage and speak your life-giving words to. My life matters because you are living in me. I am Your difference maker. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Application
Tell the Lord that you will listen to Him today for opportunities to share His love with others. Then, be mindful of your surroundings and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Related Reading
2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Acts 1:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Worship Resource
Ron Kenoly: Use Me
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