Tracing the Hope We Spread

With information at our fingertips, it is so easy to feel like we are well informed, we have the answers, and we are all a part of the bigger picture. While we are certainly a part of the larger story of what happens in our larger world, wouldn’t it be great to simply look to our left and right and make a difference for Christ in our own small world? In a time when our world is tracking who we have been in contact with to determine who may have been exposed to a virus, you realize how quickly the domino effect works and how things can spread.

What if we thought about evangelism the same way? To think that we could spread eternal life just by sharing how amazing Christ is, and how he is working in our lives during this difficult time. Take a moment to mentally trace the contacts of your last week regarding who you prayed for, shared a scripture verse of encouragement with, shared a praise of how God is working in your life, or even who you prayed the sinners’ prayer with. If the impact of your evangelism stuck with those you had contact with, how many more people could your short evangelism encounter be traced to?

As we begin the Advent season this coming week we will be focusing on hope. Where are you showing the hope of Christ in your life? If we get too immersed into this craziness in our world right now, it can be difficult to share the hope of Christ through our actions. We as Christians are filled with hope because we know that this is not the end. Our eternal future provides us with hope and we should be excited to see our own contact-tracing map of how God is working through our lives. Recently I have had to remind myself of this truth. It is so easy to get wrapped up in which expert is correct about the virus, which analyst is correct about the politics, or simply which friend is posting a meme that supports my thoughts. I am reminded to fall back in the arms of my creator and the expert of all of it. We are human so it is easy to fall into the abyss of despair, but we have hope that we are called to stand firm on.

This week I leave you with some scripture of HOPE! Stand firm in hope this week my friends and remember your evangelism contact-tracing map. Watch and see the miracles He has in store for you!

• And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10
• We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 3:10
• I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. Ephesians 1:10
• Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:3

Blessings,

Pastor Hope Terhaar