WHY SHOULD YOU SHARE YOUR FAITH?

Your mouth is parched. Your feet ache. The sun beating down, your eyes burning, you survey your surroundings. An endless expanse of desert sand. An occasional cactus. A horizon blurry from the heat.

An insatiable ache sets up shop in your bones. Bugs swarm around your head.

Water, sweet water... nowhere to be found.

Where are you, and what is happening?

You are in the desert of life. Dry, draining, desolate. The hits just keep coming. Relentless are the battles, and you are tired.

Maybe this scene is unimaginable to you. You simply cannot fathom such an extreme, hopeless state. Praise God, you know Jesus. He is your hope and stay, your refuge, your shade. He is your drink, your sustenance. No matter how bleak your circumstances, you have Him, and He has you.

But for the many who do not know Jesus Christ, the desert is their daily reality. No bench in the shade exists. No bubbling brook of crystal clear water runs alongside their path. The Bible says, "Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land" (Proverbs 25:25). When you have not the Good News of Jesus Christ in your heart, you have not a quench for your thirst.

Don't forget the desert. Don't pretend it doesn't exist. For countless nonbelievers around you, the desert is real. All they have is the present, and the present can be falsely uplifting one day and blatantly crushing the next. Cacti and thorns, heat and dirt... circumstances rule in the life of a nonbeliever.

This is where you come in.

With Jesus Christ in your life, you hold in your hands an overflowing cup of pure water. Crystal clear and ice cold, this living water begs to overflow from you to others.

The Gospel is not yours to be hoarded, it's yours to share. And in so doing, the path along which you tread becomes enriched... lush and green.

Won't you do it today? Won't you alleviate the scorch of the desert sun and allow your neighbors, friends, and family a chance to know the One who has set you free? You can't merely hope this will happen; you must use your words to articulate the Gospel (Mark 16:15). In so doing, you grant them the opportunity to let the Lord transform the landscape of their lives.

There is no question that we live in a dark and hurting world. We see trials, misfortunes, pain, and agony on a regular basis. In such a world, people are looking for hope. They are looking for something in which to put their trust.

The Bible teaches that we are to share with them the hope of glory. In the fifth chapter of the book of Matthew, God implores us to take a stand for our faith, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." For a lost and dying generation, we are the light of the world.

Think of that. You are the light of the world! What a powerful promise. We – you and I – hold the key to life, happiness, joy, love, forgiveness, and to eternity with our Lord! Christ in you... that is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)!