A Simple Message

1 Thessalonians 2:3-8 

3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed-God is witness.
6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.
7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.
8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. - 1 Thessalonians 2:3-8

Do you feel the tenderness and affection in Paul's words? Do you hear the bold truth tempered in humility? That’s the message I want to give to those that God has put in my path. For me, it’s easy to feel love for the people I care about, but when time comes to share, all these other feelings flood my mind, like anxiety, fear and self-doubt. Notice how all those feelings are about me and not God? Be encouraged that as the gospel works in our own lives, our natural response is to share the same tenderness, grace, and peace that we have receive from God…but only when our focus is on Him. He has entrusted us with the gospel and already given us the example through how he has interacted with us in our own lives. Don’t worry about flattery or word play or smart rebuttals. Sharing your faith is much simpler and involves way less of you, yet all of you at once. Keep your focus on what God has done, be sensitive to his orchestration, and share with gentleness.

I invite you to take a few minutes to reflect on your own journey. Do you see his affection for you, his gentleness towards you, and how he used others to share the gospel with you when you first believed? And then, go forth and share the gospel with the tenderness, grace, and peace that is already in you.

- Natalie Chan