Learning to Share and Sharing to Learn

During my years of teaching in a school and church setting I have learned that one of the best ways to come to a deeper understanding of something is to teach it to others. This week I came across this verse in Philemon 1:6, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ" (NIV). Many of us share feelings of inadequacy and insecurity when it comes to expressing our beliefs to others. We feel that someone with more knowledge or expertise should be the one to speak truth into the lives of others and so we "leave it to the experts". Unfortunately, when this is our stance, we miss out on the opportunity for God to deepen our own faith as we learn to share it with others.

I want to encourage you today. If you are a follower of Jesus, God has placed you in your home, in your neighborhood, in your job, in your school, in your church for a reason. He wants to use you (yes you!) in those places to further His kingdom. The question is…Are you willing? You have unique abilities and relational avenues that no one else has and which God will use in the lives of those around you. I can say without question, when you begin to share your faith with others, you will grow deeper in your faith in Christ. It's important to note that God doesn't ask us to share with others what we ourselves don't already know or have. Many times our issue is not that we don't know enough, it's that we are not willing to live out what we already know with those around us.

Do you know Jesus? Is he at work in your life? Will you share about that with someone this week?