Don't Leave Home Without It

Submitted by bob on

Don't Leave Home Without It

What is the ONE thing you will not leave your home without?  Advertizements in the 1970's tried to convince you it should be your American Express Card.

In the 1970s, Doug* always carried a yellow "Four Spiritual Laws" booklet in his front shirt pocket, so he would be ready to share the Gospel whenever God gave him an opportunity.

Today Tom* always keeps a new Bible in the side pocket of his car door that he can give to anyone who wants to know about Jesus.  

Lately I've started carrying a three-sentence summary of our pastor's last sermon.

Sunday night, I told Shihab, one of my Muslim friends, "This week at church I heard a very interesting talk about leadership."

Then I followed up with a question: "What do you think makes a good leader?" This gave Shihab the opportunity to give his opinion.

Then I shared my one sentence summary: "Jesus said a good leader is one who looks after the interests of the people he is leading."

This opened a floodgate where Shihab, who is a recent migrant to our country, poured out his heart to me, telling me how poorly he had been treated by his last employer.

The conversation got deeper and deeper. Soon, it moved from a Meaningful Conversation to a Spiritual Conversation.

And all it took was a topic sentence and a one-line summary.

What is the ONE thing you don't want to leave home without?

  • A physical object (like a Bible, tract, or invitation)
  • A willingness to pray with people
  • A Bible story to share
  • A question to ask

Let's pray:

"Lord Jesus, thank you for the many people you have put in our lives. Let us be sensitive to your leading as we go about our everyday activities. But Lord, sometimes I don't know how to get a conversation started. So show me what I need to take from home to be ready for the opportunities you have prepared for me. Amen."

ps.  What is your prayer strategy for the Olympics?

Here are three ideas:

  1. A printable Prayer Guide to hang on your fridge
  2. A five-day devotional on YouVersion on how to pray for athletes
  3. An invitation to pray specifically for 5 athletes by name