sharing ideas to stir compassion and action

Often enough our stunted vocabulary comes to light. Most often this is seen when time comes for people to tell of the hope they have and express in words to others the transformation that the gospel has been on their life. We can tell each other what we love about the football, love about chocolate, love about our spouses but when it comes to God… the Cross… we seem box the most amazing and significant life event to a pedestrian sentence of truth – he died, I’m saved, forgiven!

Often our testimonies speak of structures and events and churches and people.
We give God the glory by saying it was He who was behind it or God used this conference or this talk and this person to bring the gospel to me. But do we speak of his power and might to use those things to soften the sinners heart?

Often our testimonies speak briefly and in summary of what Jesus now means to us.
We give God the glory by saying it was by faith that I am saved, I did nothing. Its comforting to know that Jesus Christ died for me. But do we speak of his love and compassion or the warmth of his forgiveness or the gratitude that floods our hearts in response to his costly sacrifice?

Often our testimonies descriptively and powerfully speak of our depravity and brokenness and failings.
We give God the glory by listing our sins and the crimes against him we used to commit. We show we are really unworthy of being taken in by him. But do we have the same vivid and expressive words to describe the better life of living for the Prince of Peace instead for the Prince of darkness?

Often when we talk about the boy we have swoon over, or the amazing goal scored in your football match we have a rich vocabulary to speak of the wonder, amazement, love, joy, elation we are feeling and of the thoughts that overwhelm us.

So why don’t we have the words to describe what we think and how we feel about the God of the universe who stepped down from glory into history, as a human to life the life we were meant to and then tasted death so that we don’t have to.

Here is an example of someone who articulates how Jesus really is their Lord, friend, Saviour, and refuge.  It is by an anonymous friend of a friend:

I haven’t found anything or anyone that even compares to Him. And he catches me off guard all the time, because I forget that he is better than I can ever imagine. I look at Jesus and see strength without harshness, tenderness without weakness, humility without the slightest lack of confidence, holiness and conviction without the slightest lack of approachability, power without insensitivity, passion without prejudice and never a moment of inconsistency.

In front of other people, I can hide and pretend to be a good person, and pretend to be impressive. But He sees right through all that. He knows that I have nothing to offer him except foolishness and rebellion. He cuts me open and reveals the biggest weaknesses and failures in my life. He knows that I am worse than I will ever realize, and yet He died for me and loves me more than I could ever dream. There is absolutely no one like Jesus. There is no one who loves me like that. He is utterly amazing and good.