Temperature Gauge

When the corn is nearly ripe it bows the head and stoops lower than when it was green. When the people of God are near ripe for heaven, they grow more humble and self-denying... Paul had one foot in heaven when he called himself the chiefest of sinners and least of saints. John Flavel

I remember when we were kids Mom would take our temperature to see if we had a fever.  This helped her to determine if we were ill and it also made it possible for her to decide what medicine we might need to make us well. 

A Christian needs to apply this same form of measurement to non-Christians.  By that I mean we need to gauge how much we say and the way we say it.  If we handle an encounter with a non-Christian wrong, it can mean that individual who is not a Christian may never come to know Jesus as their Savior. 

When I think about it from that perspective, it scares me.  If we misread the other person’s temperature it becomes a life and death matter.  This life and death matter doesn’t just mean they die and are buried.  It means the difference between eternal life with God or an eternal death with Satan. 

So basically we hold that person’s soul in our hands. Have you figured out that God is a touchy subject with a lot of people?  If I approach someone and start telling them everything they are doing wrong in their life, how far do you think I will get with helping them to know God?  If I condemn them before they even understand who God really is, I am leading them away from God instead of toward Him. 

One thing I have learned over the years is that how we tell our story makes a difference in how the other person will react to it.  If I humble myself before them and show them where I have sinned, it forms a bond between us.  It tells the other person that I am a sinner too and have failed. 

Too often the scenario goes something like this.  We are a Christian and have sinned.  The problem is we want the other person to see us as a Christian so we cover up the sin or sins we committed in the past and pretend that we are sin-free.  We elevate ourselves above the other person.  If you read any stories about Jesus in the Bible he humbled Himself to others.  He didn’t “Lord” it over them.

My theory is, gauge a person’s temperature before I open my mouth.  The results can mean eternal life or eternal damnation.       

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, how I approach others about You can mean the difference in where that person will live for eternity.  Please help me to know what to say and how to say it so that others are not turned away from You.  If I am humble, I believe I can point others to You.  How I gauge their temperature can make a world of difference.     

Scripture: He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. Proverbs 28:13

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.  For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.  Hebrews 2:14-18