I Am Not Ashamed

photo by pixebay

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16

This rusty old blue truck with a blue tick hound dog in the back was pulled up in the shade of the Ingles store Saturday afternoon. The day was hot for April. A young farmer in overalls and a straw hat was bent over the side of the truck pouring a bottle of water in a pan inside the bed. The dog waited a bit, then he started stealing sips from the bottle. The farmer seemed to be so caring to the dog, like the stories you hear of a faithful old friend. I wondered why the dog was so hot and so in need of water. Had the farmer been up town shopping for spring items and left the dog in the truck. Had he been in for groceries? Maybe they had been out in the FENCE area training and stopped just to cool. Did it really matter? What mattered most was the intimate moment between the man and his dog, right there in plain sight, not ashamed. I wanted to ask for a picture but the moment was so intimate I didn't feel comfortable breaking in, though the farmer probably would have been glad to show off his dog. I didn't want a dog show. I wanted to capture the relationship. 

Intimate, unashamed, in front of the whole world, that's what I want my relationship to be with Christ. I don't want an in your face religion; just a natural, comfortable relationship that others would want to share. A relationship that others would say, "Isn't that sweet how she leans on and depends on her God." I almost just wrote "God," but I thought no, "her God" demonstrates a more intimate relationship, a natural, real relationship that only comes from working together, riding together, resting in the shade and soaking in a cool drink of water together. 

Keeping up with my busy world often interrupts my intimate relationship with my Savior. I would like to stop and ponder how to make my relationship more focused on Him and less on me. How about you? 

Blessings, 

Gail

Hey Kids:

What kind of things do you like to do with your parents? How do you address them?

Jesus called God, Father. He said we could become the sons of God. What a great way to think about our relationship with God. He is like our earthly fathers, dads, papas, however you address your earthly father.

An idea to begin a closer relationship with God could be to make a list of things you enjoy doing with your dad. Before you can call your dad, Dad, you must first belong to him. 

Do you have a time and a place you remember asking Jesus for forgiveness? Did you ask Him to save you so you could be part of His family? 

Do you enjoy talking to your dad? What do you talk about? Do you talk to him in public?

Do you think Jesus would enjoy hearing about those things too? 

What kinds of activities do you enjoy with your dad? Do you hunt or fish, read books, play games? 

How can you involve Jesus in those activities?

When does your dad make you feel safe? Do you ask for his help?

How does your dad make you feel loved? Do you tell him you love him?

Have you ever thought Jesus might enjoy your asking for things?

Do you think Jesus would like to know you love Him?

Maybe a good start would be to stop... right where you are and begin a conversation with God.