When I was a little girl, I participated in the local Girl Scout program. My favorite and also most challenging part of the program came in the fall when we sold Girl Scout Cookies. I loved the excitement of meeting people and telling them about our cookies. I remember mapping out my neighborhood as well as listing my friends and their parents and anyone else I could think of.
I became knowledgeable of the product, planned what I would say, and I even figured out how to feature my favorite cookie! That was the thrilling part. Then when all the cookies were distributed and the money was sent in, it was over for another year. I would think, “What, that’s it? It’s over? I have to wait another year?” That was the difficult part.
Then when I became involved with The Way Ministry, I learned so many wonderful things from God’s Word. I got very excited when I realized that I could talk to people all year long about the treasures of truth in God’s Word! One of the rights and privileges we have as God’s children is the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, one of the jobs of those who have confessed Jesus as lord and believed that God raised him from the dead is to introduce people to God by sharing His Word.
When I was selling cookies, I liked to mention my favorite one. But God our heavenly Father has given us the privilege to reach out with His Word and give something so rich that it’s been hard for me to pick out one favorite truth from God’s Word—there are so many!
Developing a life-style of reaching out with God’s Word is a building process. A daily habit of reaching out requires preparing, making time to reach out, and staying faithful at it.
Let’s begin with the first point, preparing to reach out. One of the greatest forms of preparing to speak the Word is to put the Word on in our hearts and believe it so that we are ready to share it.
Colossians 3:16:
Let the word of [pertaining to] Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
The Word dwelling richly within prepares us to give people answers of truth from God’s Word.
I Peter 3:15:
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready [prepared] always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear [reverence for the Word].
The word “always” in this verse means invariably, at any and every time. It’s not that we are ready just once in a while, we are ready on every occasion the door opens to speak the Word.
The best way we can prepare ourselves to be ready to give answers of truth on every occasion is to read and study God’s Word daily. Before I went out to sell cookies, I made sure that I was thoroughly knowledgeable of my product. Studying and living God’s wonderful Word gives us rich understanding that we can draw upon when we are speaking to people. This equips us to “be ready always to give an answer to every man.”
Jesus Christ was well aware of this principle in his life. From a youth he was taught God’s Word. He studied that Word and wove it into his heart. As a youth Jesus impressed even the teachers of the Temple in Jerusalem with his knowledge of God’s Word.
Luke 2:46 and 47:
And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
As he grew into manhood and went forth to minister, he was ready to speak the Word and give an answer to those he met. We see this in the Gospel record of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.
John 4:9 and 10:
Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew [Judean], askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews [Judeans] have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Jesus was knowledgeable of what was available to this woman, and he had the confidence to let her know about it. He drew upon his vast knowledge of all the Word he knew and utilized the surroundings to help this woman toward deliverance.
John 4:15:
The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
We too can speak the Word that we know in situations. As we continue to put the Word in our hearts, it becomes a part of our lives. This helps us to be prepared in situations and confident when doors open for us to speak….
This is an excerpt from the November/December 2005 issue of The Way Magazine.
Copyright© 2005 by The Way International. All rights reserved.
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