Luke 9:2 -- On Hope and Healing

"And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick."
Luke 9:2


I like these two things together... service to others, and spreading the word of God. I think they really go together, because service is what God is about, and knowing how he can help us is often what gets us to listen to him in the first place. :) I know that many people despise proselyting. I mean, I was a missionary myself and I sort of despised it while I was doing it in a way... I could understand the desire people had to get us to move on, go away, stop bothering them, or whatever. On the other hand though, we weren't there for them... we were there for God, and every now and then we would meet the souls that God had prepared to hear the word... and they wanted us there, and they were thirsty for His word. It can certainly be awkward, and funny, and hard, but there are people out there that desperately need it... need God, and need healing. The method doesn't have to be uncomfortable. :) Often people are more touched by service than they are by the door-to-door approach anyway. We just reserved it for when we didn't have a better one.

I think something that we can all do to be missionaries, without any of the awkward parts, is to serve others... to be out there, setting an example and loving other people, and showing that love through service. As we do that, God will put people in our lives who are going to want to know what we are about, and why we do what we do, and he will work through us to touch people's lives. We just have to be actually doing something to give him the chance. He'll work with whatever he has... kids riding bikes down the road in white shirts and ties to knock on our doors, or someone in the perfect position to help us when we are desperately in need of support. Today, let's be God's hands by reaching out to serve others, and his voice as we are "ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). Spreading the gospel is about love, and service, and not being ashamed of God's hand in our lives... of being willing to open our mouths when God prompts us to share our joy with others. Let's find a way to do his will in serving others and sharing his message of hope and healing.