Luke 4:42 – At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. (NIV)

I feel so guilty. The other night, I ate a whole giant bar of chocolate. I should have left some for my family, but I wanted all of it for myself. I even felt a bit nauseated before I finished it off, but I knew that if I left a couple of chocolate squares in the fridge, they would be gone in the morning. So I gorged down the whole bar.

Hello, my name is John Stuart, and I'm a chocoholic.

Greed makes all of us do selfish things. Take the people in Christ's time, for instance. He healed their sicknesses, cured their lame people, and fixed their broken bodies. He was a cure-all for each of their ailments, so when He talked about going to the other villages, they did not want Him to leave. They wanted to keep Jesus for themselves. They didn't want to share His power with anyone. If other villages wanted a healer, they could get their own. Jesus belonged to them.

But Christ wouldn't grant them their wishes. He had more to do with His ministry than remain home as an on-demand country healer. He had to take God's message out into the wider world. His mission was not local; it was international.

Sometimes we keep Christ all to ourselves because of the strength, confidence, and guidance that He gives us. These are great personal blessings, but we're not meant to feed on them alone. We belong to a missionary faith, so each of us has a personal calling to share the good news and tell others about Christ. Christianity has never been a private, personal belief system that caters to our individual needs. We're meant to share with others by inviting them to church, praying for those in trouble, and reaching out to those in need.

Hello, my name is John Stuart, and I'm a Christian. Let me tell you about Jesus, my Lord and Saviour …

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we love You for loving us, guiding us, and strengthening our faith. Help us to share our experiences and beliefs with our families and friends, our neighbours and colleagues. Give us the courage to fulfill the moments of faith-sharing opportunities that You provide for us. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

John Stuart <traqair@aol.com>
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Send your feedback to the author