This past week my daughter had her part 1 MFA thesis show and I do not get to be there! She will be coming home soon for a wedding which we will all enjoy and then we will be flying out for her graduation the middle of May! But I would have liked to be there but I know she is beyond busy with thesis, moving and preparing for her oral defense. My cousin, who I travel with a lot, has gone to Greece, without me! It was an opportunity she could not pass up (and I am stepping out on her in November) but I want to be there. She just posted that she swam in the Libyan sea.....without me! A friend asked me to go to the beach with her today and I could not but I wanted to and I am thinking about her out there soaking up the Son! Because I know I love these people and have so much fun with them I fear that I am missing out! Recently I heard of FOMO! Fear of missing out! Sometimes it is nice to know that you are not the only one with these symptoms and if there is a name for it you are validated.
When I heard of FOMO I started thinking about all of the things that I fear missing out on. A day on the beach, a day on the island, a get together with family, getting together with close friends, and the list goes on. For me, it is more simple stuff. Knowing I love to travel, Sarah asked me one time if I knew I only had six months to live where would I go? I quickly answered, "I would stay home so I could be with all my family and friends." That is most important to me and I believe I would be very bold in my witnessing!
Not going to Heaven should be our biggest fear of missing out! That is not a day at the beach, a evening of fun, a week or two trip, a six month study abroad....that is for all eternity!
John 3: 16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 1 John 5: 13, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." We cannot imagine how wonderful Heaven will be. Romans 8: 18, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
Ecclesiastes 3: 11, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." God has already placed eternity in our hearts. Nothing else can satisfy our deepest longings except Him! Matthew 7: 13-14, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." When we decide to follow Jesus it means we abandon our own agenda for His. The gate is not wide enough for all our stuff!
Ephesians 2: 8-10, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God rescued us from the sin of death and shows us a new way of life in Jesus. This new life is what we were made for and what God has modeled for us. This is the way we are to walk as we follow Jesus. Paul is not only telling us that we have been saved but what we have been saved for. If we are God's handiwork, then God knows what is best for us and He has told us what this is in the Bible.
When we share our testimonies with others, sharing how God saved us from sin and has made us a new creation, how he has filled us with joy and peace by the Holy Spirit, we are reminded of God’s awesome work in our lives. This deepens our love and understanding of Christ. Philemon 1: 6, "I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ."
While we cannot open someone’s heart to the truth, God can. We must be prepared to share the Good News with others. We also should know the prayer of Salvation to share with them. You can use your own words but here is an example. "Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen."
Do you have FOMO for you or for someone else? In Matthew 9: 37, Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Are you going to be a laborer, someone willing to take a step of faith and love to share the message of the gospel?
Comments