“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14 (NKJ)

I saw the lights flashing in my rear view mirror. I thought to myself, “Oh, what have I done?” I didn’t think I’d been speeding, or doing anything else illegal. I pulled onto the shoulder of the highway and parked. Without a smile or cordial hello, the officer asked for my license and car registration. Then he looked at me as if I had run over a pedestrian and said, “Do you know what I stopped you for?” Instantly I started freaking out in my mind. What did I do?

“No sir, I don’t know what I did”, I replied.

“You’re wearing headphones and that’s illegal. I’m going to write you a ticket.”

“Well," I thought, “at least I didn’t kill somebody and not know it!”

He came back to the car with the same gruff attitude, gave me my ticket and warned me to never do this again. I agreed.

As he drove away I thought about how unhappy he was. Then as I got onto the highway I said, “Lord, I’m sorry that I didn’t share You with that man. If I had it to do all over, I would say something.”

Well, I hadn’t been on the road more than two minutes and I saw lights flashing in my rearview mirror. A hot flash came over me and as I thought, “Oh my goodness, Lord, you’re going to hold me to what I just said.” I pulled over and parked. My hands started to sweat. What would I say?

I looked up and saw that it wasn’t the same officer. I was confused. Was this still a test to see if I would share Christ? This officer smiled and said, “Ma’am, do you know why I stopping you?” I said, “No. I just got stopped two minutes ago by another officer.”

“You were going 63 miles-per-hour in a 55 miles-per-hour zone,” he told me. I replied that I was just getting up to speed with everybody else on the road and asked, “Weren’t they all going faster than me?” He smiled and said, “It will only take me a few minutes. I’ll be back with your ticket.”

As he handed me the ticket I asked, “Where do you go to church?” He said, “I don’t go.” I knew this was my lead. I started to tell him about a church I knew nearby. That led to a conversation about God’s provisions. Then he said, “My only son has been in the hospital for over a month. Maybe I do need to go to church and maybe it’s God we need in all of this.”

While I sure didn’t “need” to pay for two tickets in one day, that policeman needed to turn to the Lord, and so do a lot of other people we meet everyday. If we are alert we will notice the Spirit prompting us to the spiritual needs of those around us. Even in the face of being reprimanded or put in uncomfortable situations, our first thought should be what would God have us to do at that time.

Dear Lord, Help me to live out the Great Commission to everyone I meet. Help me to see people through Your eyes and to follow Your leading. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

***

Related Resources:

Do you know Him?

Sandpaper People: Dealing with the Ones Who Rub You the Wrong Way by Mary Southerland

P31 Woman Magazine

Application Steps:

Ask God to help you see the needs of people around you each day. Be obedient to help others in whatever way you are capable of helping. Ask God to show you who the people are that He wants you to invest in.

Reflections:

When was the last time you reached beyond your comfort level to show Christ’s love to a stranger? To your neighbor? To your cashier?

You don’t have to have the gift of evangelism to share Christ. God will give you the words. Just tell Him you want to be His vessel and be ready!

Power Verses:

Matthew 28:19 - 20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” (NKJ)

I Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (NKJ)