That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Philemon 1:6 NKJV

I had two sisters, but by the time I started elementary school, they were both out of the house. So, you could say I grew up like an only child. I had nieces and nephews who were closer to my age than my sisters. But there was enough of an age difference that I didn’t share much with them.

As children, we often don’t want to share. We don’t want other children playing with our toys. Hopefully, this is something we outgrow. As we mature, we should be willing to put others needs above our own as we are told to do in Philippians 2:3-4.

We know as Christians we are born again. This means we start our new life as a baby Christian and we are expected to grow. We are expected to mature to a point where we can share with others. We are expected to grow to a point where we can lead others to Christ, or at least plant a seed.

But in order to do this we have to be willing to share. If you asked me if I was willing to share, I would say, “of course”. I am happy to share my faith. I teach Sunday School and do Bible studies. But this is not the sharing I am talking about. What I’m talking about is sharing my faith one on one.

Sadly, I’ve come to realize I am severely lacking in that department. Since the COVID pandemic, I have lost a number of friends. Let me say these are not friends I see every day, but several of them are friends I have had opportunities to share the hope that I have in Christ with them. Unfortunately, I have failed to do so.

The Bible tells us we should always be prepared to give a defense who anyone who questions the hope in us with gentleness and fear. It tells us we should have a clear conscience so when people defame us our good conduct will shame them. It tells us we are better off to suffer for doing good than for doing evil (1 Peter 3:15-17).

I’m sure there are times we plant seeds and don’t even realize it. But what about the times we fail to do so. I know there are times, I have failed to make a point of sharing God’s love with someone who I consider a friend. I have let fear stop me. I am ashamed to admit this, but instead of praying and trusting God to make a way, I have been too worried about how they will react.

I just celebrated a birthday, and I won’t tell you my age, but as my good friend said, “We don’t have as many years left as we have behind us.”

Of course, none of us know when God will call us home. Age has nothing to do with it. When God calls your friends home, can you say you have shared your faith with them? Can you say you have let them know about the hope you have in Jesus Christ? Or are you like me, wishing you had done more?

When our time is up, it’s too late. The time to make decisions is over. We can’t beat someone over the head with our Bibles and lead them to the Lord, but we can show them a life lived in Christ. We can gently tell them about the great hope we have in Him. We can share our faith with them. If they reject this, then we can rest assured knowing we did what we could do.

We never know how long we have here. We never know how long our friends and loved ones will be with us. Don’t pass up opportunities to show your love for them by introducing them to your Lord and Savior. There is no better gift you can give them. Share His love with those you love today.

Have a great day!