Ready--Ps 23:1

Ready Ps 23.1

“Grandma, look at what I found!” The young North Korean girl was so excited. She was holding something she had never seen before. The grandmother looked at it with her failing eyes but could not make out the details. So she called the girl’s mother. Her daughter began to reads the words printed on the well-constructed plastic balloon. “The Lord Jesus loves you. Your brothers and sisters have not forgotten you. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” The grandmother exclaimed, “It’s Scripture! They’ve sent us Bible verses on a balloon! Please keep reading.” The plastic balloon held words of encouragement; It contained a message from Christians in the West and over six hundred Bible verses taking the reader from the creation, to the cross, to the second coming of Jesus Christ. In the last decade, over one hundred thousand of these “Scripture balloons” have been floated into North Korea.

Since it is unlawful to share the Gospel in North Korea, believers in neighboring countries have found a way to get the Gospel in. They share the Gospel and the North Koreans receive it at the risk of their own lives.

How about Seminole County and Wewoka, Oklahoma? Is it legal to share the Gospel here? In most places and cases, the answer is “yes”. Yet most of us are not sharing our faith? Why is that? We’re not bad people, we’ve just bought into a cleverly crafted way of thinking that says, I’m just not quite ready…….

So when will we be ready? When no longer have any unmet needs. Let’s turn to Ps 23 and find out how long that will take.

The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. (Ps 23:1)

Do you truly lack nothing? Most of us, when we read that, read it this way: “The Lord has met all my spiritual needs by saving me through the Lord Jesus Christ; however, I still have some physical, mental and emotional needs.”

But, let’s read it one more time. …there is nothing I lack.

If Ps 23:1 is true (AND IT IS) and if we still think we have needs, there must be some secret we’re missing. Turn with me to Phil 4:12.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Ah, there is a secret. So where do we discover that secret? We’ve no farther to look than verse 19 of this very chapter!
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19)

That’s a pretty stunning realization, isn’t it? The Lord Jesus Christ HAS met all your needs; and met them not according to the need but according to HIS GLORIOUS RICHES!

Therefore, all of your needs HAVE BEEN MET. This is the secret of contentment and the foundational truth behind The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.

Because you lack nothing, you are ready to share the Gospel right now…

Most of us are thinking, “wait a minute, I’m still not ready”

Not ready because I have some wants and many of those “wants” are noble…

The sobering truth is that what we’re really saying to God is “Lord, you HAVE met all my needs according to Your Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus---BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH!”

Our wants will always hinder us from sharing the Gospel no matter how noble or selfish those wants.

The Lord knows us much better than we know ourselves and He knows exactly what we need. AND HE HAS GIVEN US EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED!

The only question that remains is thisà Will you trust God? Trust Him by releasing all your wants to Him because you are gratefully content that He HAS met all your needs according to His Glorious Riches In Christ Jesus. He IS your Shepherd and there is NOTHING YOU LACK!

There are men and women and boys and girls in your world that are waiting to hear the Gospel from you and in almost all cases, they’ll be grateful to you for sharing no matter what the outcome……….

So the question is---from the Still Small Voice
Do you trust me?