Day 34 and Day 35 of 40-Day Devotions 2020

TabletalkReader     March 6, 2020 in Religion 85 Subscribers Subscribe


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(From our church-wide devotion book at Pinedale Christian Church, "You 2.0”)

Day 34
SOME TIPS FOR TELLING YOUR STORY:
Imagine an author writing a masterpiece novel and never submitting it for publication. Imagine a hit song that was never sung. Instead, the musician crammed the music in a drawer and forgot about it. Seem crazy? That is precisely what many of us do with God’s story in our lives.
Look at the way that the last sentence is phrased. Your story is not really your story. It belongs to God. He has written a part of His story of redemption inside of you. Your job is to embrace your role and to share it with those around you.
Some of you may already by sharing your story with others. Some may be intimidated. As you consider becoming more practiced and proficient with telling God’s story, here are a few tips to consider1:
#1 – DON’T “FORCE” SCRIPTURE INTO YOUR STORY.
That probably seems like an odd statement, but your story does not need to be a recitation of the Bible. Your goal is to share what God is doing in your life, so think about how to do that in an informal way. You might share a key verse that has impacted you in a special way, but there is no need to follow the “Roman road” in this. Don’t force it.
Just tell what God has done for you (or through you).
#2 – WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE.
This is not an admonishment against profanity, though we should all be careful about the way that we speak to others. In this case, remember to avoid using “Church language.” Christians have a lingo that may confuse those outside of Church. Stay away from those terms. Instead, focus on conveying the truth in words that everyone can understand.
#3 – WATCH YOUR TIME.
Recently, a friend shared his testimony with me, nonstop, for one hour. Obviously, he had a great deal to say and to be sure, his story was powerful. We must keep in mind, however, that most people will not give us their attention for that long. Instead, we should try to be concise. You don’t want to hold someone hostage with every messy detail of your past. Shoot for a 5-minute version – (about the same as the videoed testimonies in this study). Then, if your friend wants more, s/he will ask questions.
#4 – FOCUS ON YOUR FRIEND.
As you share your story, watch your friend’s body language. Does he seem interested in what you are saying? Does he seem to follow your train of thought? Can you connect with him in some way that makes the story “stick”? Remember, your story is not about you. It belongs to God, and His heart is to seek and save those who are lost. How can you use your story to connect with others?
#5 – CONSIDER THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
We live in a brave new world, and social media has shrunk the world considerably. Why not use your platform to tell others what Jesus has done in your life? We can do that without constantly “preaching at” people. Instead, use your story. Video it, as we have demonstrated in this study, and share it with your friends. Who knows how far your words will reach. One warning – once you put something “out there,” it is nearly impossible to take back. So organize your thoughts and practice your story. Then tell it. God will take it from there.
Jot down some notes for your own story. Now write down the names of people with whom you could share it.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 35

The day after Christmas might just be the worst time to expect “good” technical support. If you bought a product that doesn’t seem to be working properly, you call the hot-line only to get a recorded message that says something like: “Your technical support representative will be with you in [pause] 7 hours, 53 minutes.”
Or maybe you go to their website, only to find your questions not listed on the FAQ page. You click the button to type your question, only to get a second question: “Would you like to speak to a technical support representative?” You click “yes,” only to find that you’re now 8 hours and 13 minutes from getting through!
PRAISE GOD that our new lives in Him don’t involve the kind of technical support that humans have come to expect from other humans. Our access is INSTANT! Our Father is LOVING! Our “product” by guarantee, has “everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge (relational connection) of/with Him...” (2 Peter 1:3)

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