Influenced In The Right Direction

Missionary work takes deliberate effort, both in staying focused on the Lord and in carrying out the primary objective, reaching the lost for Christ. If we can’t even speak His name to our own children, how will we reach them with the good news of salvation, let alone the world around us?

To repeat myself, whatever we routinely expose ourselves to, we will undoubtedly pick up on. If our goal and desire is to develop a love for God among our children, we must make an effort to expose ourselves to the things which grow us in our own faith. This may seem like one of those “duh” statements, but so many of us fall short of this concept. We need to work as hard at developing our Christian faith as we do at anything else in life - career, hobbies, finding the ultimate cheesecake, whatever.

For me, it involved a steady diet of Bible reading and seeking out relationships with certain people who stretched me a little bit. It was more than hanging out with other Christians at work, it was finding that one person who I knew would say, “Let’s pray about that.” It wasn’t just joining a social club, but finding one that exemplified the love of Christ. And when I socialized with other Christians, I sought out the one or two whose conversations were liberally peppered with “Jesus this” and “Jesus that.” They were on fire, and I enjoyed catching their enthusiasm!

I knew I had developed a healthy attitude for speaking Jesus’ name when I ran into a friend in a parking lot somewhere. It had been a little while since we had last seen each other and we enjoyed spending a few minutes getting caught up. I was aware others were walking around us, but our conversation was animated and without care as to anyone eavesdropping in on our discussion. We shared both concerns and joys and things we had been doing lately. We began to say our goodbyes when my friend stopped and mused out loud, “It is so great to have another woman to share the things of the Lord with.”

I reflected on what our conversation had been about. It had been full of “Jesus this” and “Jesus that.” No concern with what others were thinking of me, not a care of whether others had heard what we said. Just pure, unadulterated Jesus talk. I felt invigorated. I was pumped. I wanted to evangelize the parking lot right then and there.

Not being afraid to speak the name of Jesus is an important step in sharing the Gospel with your children. Reading the Bible together should ultimately lead to discussion as you teach your children what God’s truth means and how to apply it in their lives. Experiencing the awesomeness of creation should be fueled with not only the acknowledgment of God’s hand in it, but with a proclivity towards engaging your children in living and breathing God in everyday life. All this necessitates unashamedly speaking the name of our Lord.

We love hearing our name spoken. How much more does the Lord need to hear his from His children. Loving Jesus enough to say His name will enrich your reaching out to your children in love and obedience. “Christ” is not just the name of the Son of God, but is supposed to be a reflection of what we call ourselves. We are “Christ”ians. Let us not be ashamed of His name.