Gratitude is not just our outward expression of praise; it is our daily sacrifice. In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was a sacred offering to God, laid on the public altar for all to see. The psalmist wrote, “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me.” 

There are days when gratitude for God is a natural emotion. There are other days when gratitude might be more of an effort. The psalmist encourages us to order our way “rightly” and we will see the salvation of God.

Sometimes God blesses our sorrow or grief with that same joy. To order our way rightly requires us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). That is God’s will for each of us in Christ Jesus.

Our sacrifice of praise is to glorify God in all circumstances by living with him as our “strength and our shield” (Psalm 28:7). Everything on earth can be going wrong and we can still offer God a sacrifice of praise. Christians understand that our peace and our gratitude transcend the things of earth.

Jesus made himself a sacrifice for us, and we can make our lives a sacrifice of thanksgiving to him every day, regardless of our trials. We know, and will one day experience, the salvation of God.

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. To praise God in the rain takes wisdom. Wisdom is also necessary to see beyond a difficult circumstance with the knowledge that God will redeem it for our good if we are called to his higher purpose. Wisdom will prompt our sacrificial praise that will bring God glory. What praise will you offer to God today?

Old Testament believers understood that the heart was the center of life and also believed the heart was the center of a person’s passions or motivations. Consider how your heart quickly responds when excited, scared, or nervous. 

When the psalmist says “my heart trusts,” he is giving an example of what it means to set aside personal motivations and trust God’s leadership completely. He knows that is how he is helped.

The psalmist also says “my heart exults.” The word in Hebrew means to be openly joyful and filled with praise. People will notice a heart that exults when they see our reactions and our joy. The psalmist’s praise motivates his actions and causes him to openly sing a song of gratitude to God.

Our goal as believers is to abide in God’s holy Presence, trusting him to be our strength for the journey and our shield of protection. God is our help, and we should live gratefully aware that he walks with us as a protective, loving Father walks with his child.

When last was your gratitude for God’s help and blessing so overwhelming that those around you could see that your heart was exulting, rejoicing with songs of thanks? Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. Wisdom will fill our hearts with thanksgiving because we understand that God himself is our strength and shield. Our hearts will exult with an attitude of praise so that others will know we are children of the one true and holy God.

Every day is blessed with circumstances only God could orchestrate in our lives. We will see God at work in our lives if we know how to look for him, see his hand, and trust his heart. Paul wrote, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

This month we will talk about how wisdom leads us to be grateful for God in all circumstances, even those circumstances we wouldn’t choose. Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. We will live a life of grateful praise when we walk in God’s wisdom. A life of obedience to God causes us to be grateful because we can know that we are living the will of God through the power of Christ Jesus.

Legions of angels are at work in this world. God’s Holy Spirit is actively guiding every life yielded to his voice of direction. Christians have been saved by grace, and we continue to live each day by God’s grace.

If we could wave a wand and become the people we could have been had we lived apart from God’s grace, we would each drop to our knees, overwhelmed with gratitude to God. He has spared us from things we cannot know, and he has blessed us with things we have not fully appreciated. God loves his children, and his grace to us is “not in vain.” 

No one’s life is perfect or perfectly easy. Paul knew that better than most. But each of us has a unique life filled with the guidance and blessings personally given to us by our perfect God. Just as he gave each of us a fingerprint, so has God given each of us a unique blueprint for our life. 

We can be grateful for all we know and understand about God’s plan for our lives, but we can also be grateful for the grace we have been given for the moments we lived contrary to his plan. 

Wisdom is offering our gratitude to God. God’s grace is uniquely at work, building and directing each of our lives through our hard work. His grace is our strength and our blessing of grace.

Is any day of the year better for sharing our faith than Halloween? The world is celebrating scary things today by making the day sweeter with candy. Meanwhile, television, movies, decorations, and costumes have become evil and increasingly grotesque.

People dabble in the occult for fun. Most walk away with little damage to their soul. Some, however, continue to engage in the process that costs them their soul. We live in a culture that doesn’t often consider the reality of Satan and his love for all things dark and evil. Halloween is a good chance to live as a separate witness from the world and speak of things that are holy.

Jesus said, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me.” We will be given the chance to share our faith wisely and joyfully with others if we follow Jesus around today. What we do or don’t do can speak a loud testimony to those we know. When they ask us why we believe like we do, Jesus can answer their question through our opportunity.

Today, and all days, we can wisely and joyfully share our faith if we will “keep in step” with the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:25). If we want to serve Christ today, we must follow his leadership and serve him as our King.

Jesus said, “If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” We will have a good night’s sleep tonight, and every night, if we know we spent our day with the One who created it. Satan didn’t create October 31; he just refocused the day on his priorities. He can do that on any given day if we choose not to follow and serve Jesus.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Halloween is a great day to walk in the wise footsteps of Jesus. If we serve Jesus, the Father will honor his servant.

Zig Ziglar was a motivational Christian speaker who once said, “A goal properly set is halfway reached.” We have spent the month considering our personal calling to share Christ wisely with others. The only wrong way to end the month would be to end it with the same convictions and behaviors as we began. Do you have a new ambition about sharing your faith in Christ? Zig Ziglar would say, “You’re halfway there!”

Paul told the church in Rome, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel.” It is safe to say that the overwhelming success he experienced changed the history of the church and the world.

But Paul made one other statement about his ambition to preach the gospel. Paul said that he wanted to preach “not where Christ has already been named.” Paul was a missionary as well as a theologian. Paul planted churches that changed the world.

I hope all of us have been inspired to share our faith with others. I hope even more that we share Paul’s ambition to share our faith with those who might not hear a testimony about Jesus from someone else. Are you willing to stretch every relationship in your life to include your testimony of faith in Jesus Christ?

Is the person who cuts your hair saved?

Is the person who cuts your grass saved?

Is the person who lives next door saved?

Is your dentist, doctor, accountant, or handyman saved?

Is your coworker, your supervisor, or your CEO saved?

There are people in your life who are yours to witness to. Quite possibly, you are the best person to serve as an effective witness in their lives.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Do you wisely share Paul’s ambition to joyfully share Christ with people who have never heard the plan of salvation before? Zig Ziglar would say, “If you will share Paul’s goal, you are halfway there.”

Maybe you have shared your faith with someone, or many, who have appeared politely disinterested. Maybe someone even hurt your feelings after you prayerfully shared your testimony with them. We can eagerly and joyfully testify about our faith in Christ and be shot down by an unbeliever. It’s okay to be shot down; it is not okay to be shut down.

Measure the success of your witness by whether or not God spoke through you to someone else. Your success is measured by your obedience to God, not the other person’s response. Paul encouraged the witness of the church in Corinth telling them, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

We aren’t responsible for a person’s spiritual growth. Truthfully, we can’t be responsible because we can’t judge what only God can know. That is between the person and God. We can judge whether or not we are faithfully telling others the gospel message. Our success, our accountability to God, is measured by how we step up to join the Holy Spirit in his work.

Christians have always been shot down and always will be. We shouldn’t be surprised, or even disappointed, because Jesus told us to expect that. Remember in Matthew 17 when his disciples returned from their mission disappointed? Remember when the apostle Paul preached to the men of Athens and very few came to faith? Most there mocked his words. If the apostle Paul, the great theologian of the New Testament, was mocked, we should expect to be treated the same. Paul learned not to measure his message by who didn’t believe. He measured success by those who did come to faith and by those willing to share their faith with others. 

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Wisdom is knowing that we will often only be there to scatter a few more seeds. God’s job is to “give the growth.” Heaven will be full of people we thought we had failed to convince. God knew better. We aren’t accountable to people who shoot us down. We are accountable to God if we allow those people to shut us down.

When God calls you to share your witness with someone, don’t mistake the fluttering of your heart for nerves. God will tell you when to speak up, and your heart will often flutter with conviction. That is simply the Holy Spirit at work, calling you to the moment. I like to think of my fluttering heart as being tapped by the wings of that dove that descended upon Jesus at his baptism.

When conviction comes, pray Paul’s words to the church in Rome. You can pray, “God of hope, fill me with all joy and peace as I believe in your name. Fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit so that my words may abound with the hope of your salvation.” God will answer that prayer as you yield your thoughts and your words to him. The Holy Spirit is an excellent witness; in fact, he is perfect. If you pray for your witness, God will create and author your witness.

The only reason a Christian would be unable to witness is because that Christian has forgotten to pray and forgotten that it isn’t about the words we speak. It’s about the words God wants to speak through us.

If you allow your nerves to be a hindrance, you will miss the conviction and the abundant blessing of having your thoughts and ideas filled with the “joy and peace” of believing. Nerves can hinder you from knowing the abundance the Holy Spirit can bring to your life.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Wisdom is sharing Christ through the power and abundance of God’s Holy Spirit. Wisdom is also learning that a fluttering heart is God’s encouragement to pray so he can fill you with all you need to be his witness and share your belief with someone who needs to know and receive their salvation in Christ.

Sometimes people think they don’t know all the right things to say about God so they hesitate to share their witness as a result. Almost any conversation about God could begin with his greatness and his holiness. A beautiful sunrise or sunset is God’s painting. A tremendous storm reveals his power. The intricacies in nature reveal his vast imaginative ability to create. God makes himself known to the nations. Our words of witness about God may be as simple as pointing people’s thoughts toward the many revelations of God around us.

If we want to preach the gospel, we can use the message of John 3:16. If we want to speak about the need for God, we can point to the stories in the evening news. If we want to prove the existence of God, we can point to the glimpses of God in his creation.

We already have a witness to his “greatness and holiness” because God has made himself “known in the eyes of many.”

People may believe in the Big Bang Theory, but we can ask them where they think the big bang came from. Science can point to evolutionary changes, but we can point to the consistency of each rotation of the earth, each star in the sky, and every season that continues to come and go every year. People can proudly consider themselves non-believers and we can be just as proud to say why we believe. In fact, we have a legacy of faith that has existed from the beginning of time.

Centuries of Christians have known God because he has revealed his holiness and his greatness to the world. We are simply part of an immeasurable group of people who have recognized the revelation of God in his creation.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. If you are wondering how you can begin to develop a powerful witness to the world, start at the beginning: “God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). When you want to share Christ, God’s greatness and his holiness are easy to point to. Then follow that practical and powerful view of God with the truth of John 3:16. When you are done, you will have served and glorified our great and holy God.

Spotting a Christian in a crowd shouldn’t be difficult. There is a tangible presence of Christ in the life of every believer. We all have bad days, we all get in a hurry, and we all damage our witness in multiple ways. That said, one of the best ways to spot a Christian is the conviction on their faces and, hopefully, the repentance that follows those lesser moments.

Lifestyle evangelism means walking in the Spirit, led by the Spirit, wherever we go. It’s getting to know the people who serve at restaurants, stores, the dry cleaners, or the doctors’ offices. It’s being a good neighbor, a good coworker, and a good friend to others. It’s opening doors, giving up parking spaces or seats, and just living a sacrificial life of kindness toward others.

Lifestyle evangelism is essential to our witness, but the heart of our witness needs to be our words. People can look at our kindness and glorify us if we don’t let them know that our actions are born from the Holy Spirit of Christ. We have to tell people about Jesus. “How can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” Christians have to tell the world who Jesus is and why everyone needs to receive him as God’s gift of grace, for the salvation of the world.

Too many of us have relegated the idea of preaching to those who stand at a pulpit. In fact, if we are accused of preaching to someone, that accusation is often a slander of our words rather than a compliment. Paul asked the church in Rome, “How are they to hear, without someone preaching?”

Have you allowed the culture to hinder your sermon about Christ? Every Christian is called to preach. Only a few do that from a pulpit.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Wisdom is preaching the gospel through your life and through your words.

Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He then described himself as “the true vine” (John 15:1).

We are “grafted into” the family of God through our faith in Christ. However, Jesus wanted to make one more lesson clear.

If a believer is truly attached to the “true vine,” he or she will bear much fruit. The fruit of our lives proves to the world that we are disciples of Christ. Our “fruit” glorifies our heavenly Father.

Just as a strong vine produces many grapes, a strong disciple will produce other disciples. When our faith leads others to faith, we prove we are God’s children. Jesus said, “By this my Father is glorified.”

If a Christian is yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit and walking with the purpose of Jesus, they will do the work of an evangelist. The overflow, the fruit of that intentional and dedicated walk with God, is a witness that draws others to glorify the Father. It isn’t difficult to spot a disciple in our world today.

When speaking to groups, I have often told them to consider a “five-minute measure” of their walk with God. When a disciple of Christ walks into a room filled with people having conversations, it shouldn’t take more than five minutes for someone to be aware that you are a Christian. Put that to the test, set that as your goal, and you will bring glory to your Father in heaven.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. It is wise to consider what it means to be a disciple of Christ and measure the fruit of your life by the numbers of people who have noticed you glorify your heavenly Father—wherever you go.

We often speak of sharing our faith, but, in truth, we are sharing the faith. The first commandment, the first thing people have always needed to understand, is that there are “no other gods” before Jehovah God. The world needs to worship the Creator God, not the gods created by men.

God causes the sun to rise and set every day. Only the Creator God’s name is great for every nation. Every nation should have a way to worship and honor the one true God. He deserves our pure and holy offerings because only the Lord of hosts is the great God for every nation of people.

The created need to worship their Creator. We don’t share “our faith.” We share “the faith” the world needs. There is only one God, and that message is essential to our evangelism.

It seems arrogant to think our religion is better than another. It seems intolerant to insist there is only one God and only one way to heaven. It is natural to be impressed with a person of great faith, even if their faith is misplaced in a false god.

God knew that this world would always be influenced by gods that were created by people. Satan seeks to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10) by rewriting the truth of God. If we don’t stand firm in biblical truth, our respect for a person’s devotion to their god might keep us from sharing God and the faith with them.

The way is narrow, and that truth is difficult to hear. The first commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” None of the other commandments matter if the first is not obeyed.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. We can share the gospel of Christ as “our faith,” or we can wisely share the gospel of Christ as “the faith.” Belief in the one true God is essential to our evangelism.

We will probably always remember seeing the videos on the evening news showing people in hundreds of cars, in multiple lines, waiting to receive the COVID vaccine. The vaccine was debated but is now widely accepted.

That is true of most vaccines we have taken. If we can avoid a serious illness, especially an illness that could cause death, we accept the vaccine.

My grandson was diagnosed with leukemia and the months that followed were filled with long hospitalizations so he could receive chemo treatments. No parent would ever wish for those moments, but when medicine can save a life the treatments are still seen as a blessing. Even the side effects are a reminder that the medicine is at work to kill a disease.

We don’t like to think about the possibility of someone we love needing a lifesaving treatment. We also don’t like to think about the fact that every person, regardless of the medicines of this world, will one day come to the end of life.

If we had a vaccine or treatment that would save the life of someone, wouldn’t we encourage them to take it?

John wrote that “all who did receive” Jesus, those who “believed in his name,” were given the “right to become children of God.” How can we keep our faith to ourselves? How can we not do and say everything we can to share the gospel with others? Our words can help someone become a child of God and live eternally in heaven.

Remaining quiet could keep someone from entering heaven.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. We aren’t responsible for the free-will choice a person will make about their salvation—that’s between them and God. We are responsible for sharing our faith with the wisdom and leadership of God’s Spirit. We have the cure for so much of what is not right in this world. Imagine if we valued evangelism as we value a life-saving treatment. How would that perspective change our world?

Jesus was the oldest son and would have worked next to Joseph as a carpenter. The region of Nazareth was used for farming, and it is natural to assume that making yokes for the plows was a big part of the woodworking Joseph was asked to do. Jesus was very familiar with the function of a yoke.

Many yokes were for one animal, but the most efficient way to prepare a field for farming was to use two oxen with a double yoke, which is likely the yoke Jesus was referring to in Matthew 11:29–30. Double yokes were usually placed over an older, experienced animal on one side and a stronger, younger ox on the other. The experienced animal knew where to go; the younger animal went along and helped accomplish the work.

Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Our personal evangelism is easy when Jesus walks beside us, guiding our words. Some think of evangelism as “hard work,” but if we do that work with Christ then the work is made easy and the burden is light.

If sharing your faith feels like a burden, will you pray for the wisdom to accept the yoke of Christ for the task? Ministry can be time-consuming and a challenge, but it doesn’t have to feel like a burden. Jesus said, “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest.”

Personal evangelism doesn’t have to be hard unless we approach the task without first putting on the yoke of Christ. He effectively said, “Attach your life to mine. I know what to do and will help carry the load.”

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Wisdom is taking the time to pray and receive Christ’s yoke before sharing your faith with others. Jesus knows what a person needs to hear and when and how they need to hear it. Do personal evangelism while beneath the yoke of Christ. You will find rest for your soul when Jesus is walking beside you.

Just before Jesus ascended to the Father, he told his disciples that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit” came to them and they would “be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus literally said that when his disciples received the Spirit they would become, or be transformed into, a witness for Christ. Jesus could say that to all of us who have received his Spirit as well.

Our witness is who we have become through the Spirit of Christ Jesus. That’s why Paul could write, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Christians are born again through the Spirit of God, created for the good works that God has prepared for us to accomplish.

If you have the Holy Spirit at work in your life, you can share your faith with others. In fact, if the Holy Spirit is at work in your life, you will share your faith with others. That is who you have become in Christ Jesus.

But we always have a choice. We can live directed and motivated by our human natures or by the nature of God’s Holy Spirit, his “workmanship” in our lives. God’s plan for us will result in eternal reward and treasure. When we accomplish his good works, we have been obedient to the calling he has planned for our lives. God’s plan is for you to spend this life storing up the treasure in heaven he so much wants to reward you with eternally.

If God has called you to a task, he will also equip you, through his Spirit, with the ability to fulfill his calling. When God gave you his Spirit, you became a witness for Christ Jesus. You are able to share the gospel because you have been called to that purpose for the sake of Christ.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Wisdom is fulfilling God’s calling in your life to be the witness you were re-created to be. If you are called, you are equipped.

Our culture insists there are many faith options and that it’s wrong to compare one religion to another. Jesus did not allow his disciples to entertain that way of thinking. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you.” In his first words, he insisted that his followers understand that his teaching was truth and that his words were not open for debate or compromise.

What was the truth Jesus insisted his disciples believe? Jesus told them, “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.” Jesus wanted everyone to understand that he had been sent by God and the message was the message of eternal salvation for everyone who would believe. Then, Jesus reemphasized his words, saying that the person who believed “does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Three of the most troubling words in the English language are, “Well, I believe . . . .” So many in our world today favor their own opinions or ideas about Scripture more highly than the words of Christ. Many will say, “Well, I believe . . . ” and proceed to express their understanding or their position on a verse regardless of the historical and theological understandings held by centuries of believers.

Jesus insisted that his disciples understand and believe that his words were truth and that eternal life depended on a person’s acceptance of that truth. Jesus also insisted his disciples understand there would be a time of judgment that would either allow a person to step from death to life or from death to a second death, an eternity apart from God.

Evangelism has waned in American culture, and the culture reflects the fact that people are lacking the truth of the gospel message. Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. We know that “whoever hears” the salvation message of Christ, the gospel, and believes Jesus is their Messiah sent by God will be saved. We need to joyfully share the truth with those in our culture who have chosen to believe their own opinions rather than God’s truth. Jesus insisted we understand there is an eternal purpose for our evangelism.

Sanctification is the process of being made holy. We should be more like Christ today than we were a year ago. One of the markers of a growing, thriving Christian life is the overflow of our spiritual thoughts and words to others, our evangelism.

Paul wrote his letter to Philemon praying that he would be effective in the sharing of his faith. His next words should be the only motivation we need to join the centuries of Christians who knew evangelism was key to their own faith journey.  Paul wrote we share our faith, “for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.”

Jesus made certain to tell his disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them after his death. He told them, “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26). Jesus also said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).

Every Christian has been equipped to share their faith because we have been given an effective testimony through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. We should never underestimate what the Holy Spirit can do in our lives if we are willing to share the gospel as the Holy Spirit prompts us.

Paul prayed that Philemon would share his faith, and Paul would pray that same prayer for us today. The most profound words we speak are those that cause others to know Jesus. We should use “every good thing” in us for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. All Christians have effective words to speak through the power of God’s Spirit. Whom will you effectively share your faith with for the sake of Jesus Christ?

One Sunday my husband preached a sermon on the need for all of us to be ready for heaven today. He said none of us can know when our time here on earth is finished. It was a good sermon, and one of our church members picked up a pen and paper that Sunday afternoon to write him a note of gratitude for his words. She mailed that note on Monday morning and died on Monday afternoon. He read her note a couple of days later at her memorial service.

The Lord will return, or return for us, at a moment when we do not expect him. Most of the first-century believers were certain Jesus would return in their lifetime. Some of those early Christian believers began to die, and their deaths raised some questions in the early church that Peter addressed in his letter.

Peter assured them that their faith should remain strong. He also reminded them that Jesus wasn’t slow to fulfill his promise to return but was patient to return because he wanted all people to reach repentance. Jesus told his disciples the week before his death, “This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

Many have speculated about the second coming of Christ, but no one, not even Christ, knows when that time will occur. Jesus’ words to his disciples on the Mount of Olives are interesting in light of today’s technology. Jesus said that when his gospel had been preached to the whole world, the end would come. There has never been a time in human history when that was possible—until now.

The internet has opened up God’s word to anyone who owns a cell phone. The Bible has been translated into almost every language. The entire world might be a constant hot spot in ten or fifteen years because of satellites. Quite possibly, Jesus' words on the Mount of Olives could be fulfilled in our lifetime.

But Jesus didn’t promise that “as soon as” everyone heard he would return. He did say that everyone would hear. Sharing the gospel has always been important, but our urgency has never been greater. Jesus could return soon! Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Is there any reason to wait?

God’s words to the prophet Isaiah would not be considered correct in our culture today. God told the prophet, “Turn to me and be saved,” and his message was truth for “all the ends of the earth.” God said, “I am God, and there is no other.”

The apostle Paul wrote a similar message to Timothy, saying that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

We aren’t wrong to share the knowledge of Christ as “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The way Jesus spoke those words about himself does not allow any other possibility. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only way for someone to have eternal life.

Many in our world consider that message unkind. Sharing God’s truth with a wise and compassionate delivery has become increasingly important. The gospel message can seem unkind so the messenger needs to be above reproach.

We don’t share the truth to argue that we are right and another person is wrong. We share the truth because God is always right and the rest of us are wrong whenever we think or act apart from his truth.

God has an “elect,” those who have been chosen as his children. But the fact we have been elected, or adopted into God’s family, doesn’t change the fact that he still wants others to know him as well.

It is difficult to rejoice over those in our family who walk with God without grieving for those who don’t. God’s will is that “all people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.”

Anyone can turn to the Lord and be saved. There is only one God, and there is no other. God has never “rewritten” his first commandment, and the world has never ceased trying to make personal edits to God’s perfect truth. Every temptation is similar to the first. Satan began his temptation with Eve saying, “Did God really say . . . ?” When we doubt God’s word, we open a door to Satan’s suggestions.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Satan will try to steal our joy and our testimony unless we firmly believe what Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). We aren’t “imposing our faith” on anyone by sharing the gospel. There is only one way for people to live eternally in heaven, and people deserve to know that truth.

God has promised to reward our evangelism with eternal treasure. We acknowledge Jesus and all that he has done for our lives when we share his love and his message of salvation with others. Sharing the gospel is a high and honored goal. But Jesus had sobering words for those who hinder the salvation of others.

Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Jesus was telling his disciples that we need to be aligned with his purpose and his priorities or we can do harm in this world.

Many have stopped attending a church because someone failed to show them the acceptance and love of Christ. Many have refused to hear our message because they have seen us fail to practice all we preach. They are wrong to judge the perfection of Jesus because of the imperfection of his saints. Nevertheless, whenever we do not “gather” others to Christ, we run the risk of “scattering” them to the influence of this world.

Many in our culture have labeled our evangelism both socially and politically incorrect. Our words about Christ need to be filled with truth, delivered with wisdom, and filled with a true love and compassion for the person we are speaking to. Our attitude should be one of humble certainty. We need to live with Christ and walk with his purpose if we want to gather others to the family of God.

But, if we don’t “gather,” we will scatter. If we don’t speak up, how will people know? God told Hosea, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). The work of evangelism has been hindered by our desire not to offend or to cause someone to think of us as arrogant. We cannot be arrogant, but we ought to be confident. We shouldn’t be boastful, but we should be proud of our Lord and our salvation. We shouldn’t be pushy, but we need to stand firm in the truth.

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Wisdom is knowing that sharing the salvation of Christ with others is sharing the same purpose Jesus had for his own life. We either gather or scatter. Don’t allow the influence of this world to rob you of the influence of Christ. People are still “destroyed for lack of knowledge.” People are still saved by hearing and receiving the gospel message of their eternal life in Christ.

We know that one day we will stand before God, with Jesus, and we will be accountable to God for our choices. The Day of Judgment is a reality in Scripture, but we don’t know much about that moment beyond the fact that it will occur. For those who have placed their faith in Christ, we can know with confidence that our sins will be known by God but forgiven because of our faith in the sacrificial gift of God’s Son on the cross.

Jesus was teaching his disciples that they would need to share the message of the new covenant, the message of salvation in Christ, with others. He spoke some amazing words to his disciples that still apply to his disciples today. Jesus said, “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God.” Jesus will stand with us on the Day of Judgment and tell God, and all those angels, “This one knows me, and this one has helped others know me as well.”

That moment in heaven is beyond our ability to comprehend, but it is one we will experience. We see through the glass “dimly” now, but, at that time, we will see our God face-to-face. We will stand with Jesus, so grateful for every time we acknowledged our faith in Christ and spoke of his redeeming work in our lives. We will meet those people who were impacted by our words and actions, seeds of faith that eventually took root. We will hear Jesus say, “We know you, and you belong with us.”

There are rewards on earth for sharing our faith with others. Joy is helping people pray to receive Jesus as their Lord. It is the greatest joy we can have to help people understand they have received the promise of eternal life in heaven and can live with that assurance all of their days on earth.

But nothing on earth will compare with the joy we will feel when we stand before God as the brother or sister of Christ and hear our Lord acknowledge us to the Father saying, “This one acknowledged me to others and did the work of a disciple.” Imagine hearing the God of the universe say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Wisdom is joyfully sharing Christ with others. Evangelism is our high calling now and one day will be our great reward.