Thursday, June 30
Tell the story
Scripture: Song of Songs 7-8, 2 Timothy 4
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.
Observation
Paul writes to young pastor Timothy and tells him to “preach the word.” To preach is to herald, proclaim, declare. A herald announced the news or a message. Timothy is to faithfully proclaim or announce the good news of Jesus—tell the story.
He is to be always ready, in season and out of season, whether it seems opportune or not, convenient or not.
Application
It seems easy for most of us to ignore this if we’re not a pastor like Timothy or a preacher like me. I think the translation “preach” is unfortunate; most people read it and disqualify themselves. “I’m not a preacher.” But every one of us is a herald of the good news, a messenger carrying the news of Jesus.
Think of it this way. Tell the story of Jesus. Tell it to anyone who will listen. You will be surprised at how compelling it is.
Recently I was invited to talk with a middle aged man who had spiritual questions. I answered his questions by pointing him to Jesus. (When people ask questions about God, I point them to Jesus who is the full expression of who God is. Want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus.) So I told him stories about Jesus. Even though he had been raised in a church, he hadn’t heard these stories and was amazed. A couple times he turned to his partner and exclaimed, “Did you know that?”
People need to hear the Word—the message about Jesus. Tell the story. Be ready always.
Prayer: Lord, give me opportunities today to tell the story of Jesus. Help me be ready in every conversation to tell the story of Jesus, to point people to Him.