A Prayer to Share the Gift of Christ
By Chelsey DeMatteis
"And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." - Mark 16:15-16
As the people of God we understand why God has given us rules, boundaries, and guidelines for the way to live. God's design for the believer's life brings certainty, clarity, and, ultimately, a deeper connection to Him. If you're like me, you also know what it’s like to not live within the framework God has given us. So it only makes sense that we would be able to have the maturity to examine the world around us through a lens of seeing the lost as those who need a Savior.
Something I'm most often reminded of is what happened when I began walking closely with God, I experienced what is written in the Psalms. I tasted and saw that the Lord was good. My circumstances and sins that I was working through didn't change who God was and what He desired for my life. If anything, this new shift in my life concreted just how loving God was to desire such good things for me. Those who have not yet tasted the goodness of God’s grace or found His mercy over their life are truly stumbling their way through their days. Their worldliness feels right in their minds because they are controlled by this world, and the enemy has a grip on them.
As we journey alongside those who don't yet know the Lord, I think it would be incredibly helpful if we, with intention and conviction, remembered what God's great commission says to us in Mark 16:14-16, "Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
We have the opportunity to share the greatest news of all with people who need hope, who need to know grace is available to them, and that they are loved more deeply than they could ever begin to imagine. In the same breath we also have the opportunity to share our testimony, the story God has given us, to reveal to them why we needed Jesus to go to the cross. That our sin was paid for by Christ and that through Him, we are offered a new life, a new way, and the only way to eternal glory with our Creator.
I know from personal experience that God has an incredible way of leading those who are just learning about Him with gentle rebuke and tender conviction. The power of the Holy Spirit quickly turns hearts that were once stone into hearts of flesh on fire for Christ. God is faithful. He was gracious enough to do the work through you and me. Let us be prayerful and eager to participate in seeing His work completed in the lives of those around us.
Let's pray:
Lord, I pray that I will always remember the desires of your heart. I ask that my heart would be full of conviction when it begins to veer off the path you've given me. Remind me constantly that there is power in prayer, a gift in leading with humility, and abundant, unending hope in your living Word. Help me to be steadfast in sharing your truth and giving others a reason to desire to know you. I pray that my story will be used to bring you glory. Open my eyes to see those around me that need to know you and stir up in my heart the call to encourage those people with the truth and love from your Word. In Jesus' name, amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/andreswd
Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women's Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com.
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