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What Do Others See?
This week’s Reading: Joshua 2 & Acts 16:16-38
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of Slaying Giants
There’s a common saying which goes, “You might be the only Bible that people read.”
With that in mind, ask yourself, what do they see? What message are you sending out when you are under pressure, stressed out, or in fear? Do they see a God they can lean on by the way that you are leaning on Him?
Think of it this way: imagine a vineyard in season. Rows of vines, laden with fruit, ready to be picked. To fully enjoy the fruit and to share it with others, it needs to be processed. In fact, if you hope to make wine, it needs to be crushed and pressed to extract the juice from the grapes. Before people had wine presses available to them, they applied pressure by stomping the grapes until they were completely crushed, at which time they could separate the juice from the skin and the stems.
We are a lot like that fruit when it comes to the process of living our faith. Our testimony is produced under pressure, so that the more we’re hard pressed the more we pour out the message of Christ. It’s in the overcoming of trials that they taste of His goodness and power, and, as He pours Himself in, we pour ourselves out.
Paul writes,
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. (2 Corinthians 4:8-11, NIV)
This Week’s Challenge:
This week I challenge you to prayerfully consider if God may be calling you to a mission, whether that be at home, at work, or in your community. Remember that God can use us right where we are, and that courage starts with saying, “Yes.”
Take Note:
As you go through the questions at the end of each chapter, you’ll find that some of them relate to you personally. There’s no right or wrong answer with these questions as they are designed for soul searching.
I will be back on Friday to give you my thoughts on this chapter and some of the questions from the study guide. Again, if you are looking for the printable chapter, you can find it at the bottom of the email you receive from Time-Warp Wife. If you have any trouble subscribing, feel free to email me at darlene @darleneschacht.net (no spaces in that email address)
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