How to Share My Hope with Others

In Mark 16:15 I read, “Wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News.” (GW)

Wherever I go, Jesus wants me to share the hope I have in him. It’s one of God’s purposes for my life.

Jesus said, “Wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News” (Mark 16:15 GW). Bringing someone into the family of God is the greatest thing I can do.

There are six practical steps I can use to share the hope I have in Jesus. Here are the first three:

Live it. Long before I talk about my faith, I should live it. The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:12, “Live properly among your unbelieving neighbors . . . They will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God” (NLT). If people like what they see in me, they are more likely to listen to what I say.

Learn it. I could know about the hope that is in me and still have a hard time expressing it. But 1 Peter 3:15-16 says, “Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, but do it with gentleness and respect” (GNT). As people see something different about my life, I need to be ready when they ask, “Why do you live the way you do?” And then I share “with gentleness and respect.”

Apologize for not sharing sooner. There may be people in your life you’ve known for 10, 20, or even 30 years. How do I break the ice and talk about Jesus with people I’ve known for a long time? I apologize and say, “You’ve been a good friend for a long time, but for some reason, I haven’t told you about the most important thing in my life. I’m sorry. I wish I had told you sooner.” You’ve known them long enough to know I don’t want to spend eternity without them.

The Bible says, “The righteous person is a guide to his friend” (Proverbs 12:26 GNT). Guiding friends the right way means caring enough about them to want them to spend eternity with me in heaven.

In summary, wherever I go, Jesus wants me to share the hope I have in him. It’s one of God’s purposes for my life. Jesus said, “Wherever you go, tell everyone the Good News”. Bringing someone into the family of God is the greatest thing I can do. There are six practical steps I can use to share the hope I have in Jesus. Here are the first three: Live it. Long before I talk about my faith, I should live it. I am to “Live properly, they will see, and they will give honor to God”. If people like what they see in me, they are more likely to listen to what I say. Learn it. I could know about the hope that is in me and still have a hard time expressing it. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks, but do it with gentleness and respect”. As people see something different about my life, I need to be ready when they ask, “Why do you live the way you do?” Apologize for not sharing sooner. There may be people in your life you’ve known for years. How do I break the ice? I apologize and say, “You’ve been a good friend, but for some reason, I haven’t told you about the most important thing in my life. I wish I had told you sooner.” I’ve known them long enough to know I don’t want to spend eternity without them. Guiding friends the right way means caring enough about them to want them to spend eternity with me.

Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world, telling everyone that he had paid the penalty for sin and that those who believe in him can be forgiven and live eternally with God. Christians today in all parts of the world are telling this Good News to people who haven't heard about Christ. The driving power that carries missionaries around the world and sets Christ's church in motion is the faith that comes from the Resurrection. Do I feel as though I don't have the skill or determination to be a witness for Christ? I must personally realize that Jesus rose from the dead and lives for me today. As I grow in my relationship with Christ, he will give me both the opportunities and the inner strength to share his message.  

Jesus Wants to Share My Burden

In Matthew 11:28-30 I read, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (RSV)

The answer to the burden I’m carrying, the things that weigh me down and trouble I’m having, comes from Jesus. 

Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 RSV).

Taking His yoke upon me is not adding an additional burden or problem. A yoke is a board with two arches, and it’s placed over two cattle so they can pull a cart.

The value of a yoke is that it cuts the load in half. Without a yoke, one cow has to pull the entire load by itself. But if I yoke up the cow with another cow, then the two animals pull the load together, making it half as heavy.

So, when Jesus tells me to take on his yoke, he’s not saying he’s going to give me his problems. Jesus doesn’t have any problems! He’s saying he’s going to share my problems. He’s going to share my load. He’s going to take my stress on himself and bear it with me.

Jesus uses three notable verbs in this Scripture: come, learn, and take. It’s like Jesus said, “Come team up with me so I can learn how I do it. Take on a lighter load that will reduce my stress and make my problems easier to navigate.”

When I’m yoked with Christ, I move together with him. I move in the same direction and at the same speed. I move in the right direction and at the right speed. And I move with a lighter burden.

In summary, Jesus tells me to come to him with my labors and heavy loads. He will give me rest. I am to take his yoke and learn from him, for he is gentle and lowly in heart. When I do, then I will find rest for my soul, for Jesus yoke is easy and my burden will be lighter. So the answer to the burden I’m carrying, the things that weigh me down and trouble I’m having, comes from Jesus. Taking His yoke upon me is not adding an additional burden or problem. A yoke is a board that is a device placed over two cattle so they can pull a cart. The value of a yoke is that it cuts the load in half. Without a yoke, one cow has to pull the entire load by itself. But if I yoke up one cow with another, then the two pull the load together, making it half as heavy. When Jesus tells me to take on his yoke, he’s not saying he’s going to give me his or more problems. He’s saying he’s going to share my problems and my load. He’s going to take my stress on himself and bear it with me. Jesus uses three notable verbs in this Scripture: come, learn, and take. “Come team up with me so I can learn how I do it. Take on a lighter load that will reduce my stress and make my problems easier to navigate.” When I’m yoked with Christ, I move together with him in the same direction and at the same speed and in the right direction and at the right speed. And I move with a lighter burden.

A yoke helps reduce the load, as the load is shared. Jesus frees all from these burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the actual end of all labor. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose. Jesus doesn't offer a life of luxurious ease. The yoke is still a tool for working hard. But it's a shared yoke, with weight falling on bigger shoulders than mine. Someone with more pulling power is up front helping. Suddenly I am participating in life's responsibilities with a great Partner. 

Learn to Surrender What Jesus Uncovers

In Philippians 1:6 I read, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (NLT)

It takes years for a person to grow to adulthood. It takes a full season for fruit to mature and ripen. Physical growth and maturity take time.

The same is true for spiritual growth. The development of a Christlike character can’t be rushed. The fruit of the Spirit, much like physical fruit, only develops with plenty of time.

During the process of spiritual growth, God slowly uncovers parts of my life that need to change in order to be more like His Son Jesus.

Think of your life before Christ. He may have allowed you to experience problems. Life’s difficulties helped him get my attention and allowed me to see a life was built on a faulty foundation. (And, actually, it’s that faulty foundation that caused many of the problems in the first place.)

Jesus wants me to surrender all of my life to him. He doesn’t want just a small portion of who I am. He wants access to all of me.

It’s like this: When I open the door of my life to Jesus, he comes in. Imagine I invite him into my house. In the living room, I tell him, “This is your home now, and I want to live here the way you want me to live.”

In the kitchen, you say, “You’re just like family. In fact, really, I’m now part of your family, and I’m so grateful for all you provide.” And so it goes, until you get to a closed door. Jesus wants to go in, but you say, “No, that part of my life is closed to you. I don’t want you going in there.”

When I invited Jesus into my life, did I give him complete access? Have I resisted his efforts to help me mature because I insist on keeping some things behind closed doors? Jesus doesn’t want me to limit how or where he works in my life. Otherwise, I’m limiting how much I can mature.

Jesus wants me to give him all of myself.

I may think I’ve surrendered all of my life to Jesus, but the truth is I’m still hanging on to some parts of my life. The good news is that Jesus isn’t upset with me. He simply wants to work with me to help me uncover areas that I still need to surrender to him.

It’s a long process, and some days it will feel like a struggle or even a battle. But the good news is that the outcome is certain. God has promised that he, “who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

In summary, God, who began the good work in me, will continue it until it is finished (which is the day when Christ returns).  Physical growth and maturity take time. The same is true for spiritual growth. The development of a Christlike character can’t be rushed, It only develops with plenty of time. During the process, God will slowly uncover parts of my life that need to change in order to be more like His Son. Jesus wants me to surrender all of my life to him. He doesn’t want just a small portion, he wants access to all of me. When I invited Jesus into my life, did I give him complete access? Have I resisted his efforts to help me mature because I insist on keeping some things behind closed doors? Jesus wants me to give him all of myself. I may think I’ve surrendered all of my life, but I’m still hanging on to some parts. Jesus isn’t upset about this, He simply wants to work with me to help me uncover areas that I still need to surrender to him. It’s a long process, and some days it will feel like a struggle, but the good news is that the outcome is certain. God has promised that he, who began the good work, will continue it until it is finished.

God who began a good work in me will continue throughout my lifetime. It will only be finished when I meet him face to face. God's work for all of us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work within me began when I first believed. Now I have the Holy Spirit living in me, enabling me to be more like Christ every day. When God starts a project, he completes it. So when I'm discouraged I only need to remember that God won't give up on me. He promises to finish the work he began. When I feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by my shortcomings, I can remember God's promise and provision. Don't allow my present condition rob me of the joy of knowing Christ or keep me from growing closer to him.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Father, help me to surrender all of my to Jesus. Allow your Holy Spirit to assist me in becoming more like Christ every day. You are faithful and I know that I can count on you.

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in my new job.  I pray all these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.