Command 49 : Make Disciples | Day 340

Share Treasures From Your Life!

A father was startled to see the flashing lights of a police car behind him and quickly checked his speedometer to make sure that he was traveling below the speed limit. His family, who was in the car with him, confirmed that he had honored the posted speed limit while other cars sped past them. Nevertheless, the policeman who had pulled him over maintained that he was clocked at 70 MPH in a 55 MPH zone!

Before the father's court appearance, a lawyer advised him to tell the judge that his equipment was faulty, so that the judge would make a deal, giving him a lower fine to pay and not putting the offense on his record. He told the lawyer that he could not do this, because it would be untruthful. He took a day off from work and drove two and a half hours to appear before the judge. After waiting four and a half hours, he was told that he would have to return the next month because he chose to not plead guilty.

He wrote, "I left feeling like I was being treated unjustly and have been fussing about this in my mind, which also affected my spirit, as I await the day to reappear before the judge. As I read the Daily Success e-mail I received today, titled "Pass Tests While You Tarry!" God convicted me of not "passing the test" by focusing on how wrong the patrolman was or the fact that I now must miss a second day of work.

"As I read the reasons why I can rejoice and give thanks for everything God allows in my life, tears of thanksgiving came to my eyes. I had failed to recognize the truth that everything that happens in my life is allowed by God, Who loves me and knows what is necessary to conform my life and will to His." This man discovered the riches of Christ's teaching by realizing that the unjust fine was not nearly as important as his response to it.

A message prepared in the mind will reach only a mind, but a message developed in a life will reach other lives.

Scripture tells us that “a good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things ...” (Matthew 12:35). As we disciple others, let's not overlook the importance of sharing examples from our lives of how we have personally lived out Christ's commands. One of the benefits of keeping a journal is the ability to recall and share specific details of past events in our lives with those whom we are discipling.

Most of us can empathize with being falsely accused at some point in our lives. Therefore, when this father shares his story of how God taught him to respond properly to unjust treatment by obeying Christ's command to Rejoice (see Matthew 5:12), others will readily identify with the message and be challenged in their own future responses to similar situations.

True learning takes place when information changes our lives and we are then able to tell someone else how it happened. Based on this, I encourage you to review the journal entries you have made over the past 49 weeks and select some that would be special encouragements to others. Each of these reports can become a significant chapter of your life message. As you share them with those whom you disciple, they will receive practical encouragement to be further conformed to the image of Christ and to develop His character in their lives.