Listen:
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:3-4)
Reflect:
Contagiousness. That word has been on my mind lately, in two different capacities. One, I’m just getting over being sick for what is probably my 5th or 6th round of covid. The sickness that changed the world as we knew it is now basically a highly contagious cold-flu, so I cleaned everything I touched in my house so my family doesn’t catch it. So far so good.
But also, with it being Resurrection Sunday a couple weeks ago, I’ve been listening to Keith Green’s music, leading me to listen to his widow Melody’s book about their life on Audible. In it, she shares with contagious honesty how they came to follow Jesus through the Jesus Movement. I’ve thought about how contagiousness can bring sickness physically and how it can draw us into deeper life and purpose spiritually, like it did for the Greens and like it did for me; when someone lives in such a way that draws you to want to know Jesus more intimately.
What makes a believer contagious? I believe it starts with true heart change, followed by behaviors that don’t compromise that heart change. Not unlike Keith and Melody Green, I discovered that I was a pretty terrible god of my own life. You probably have discovered the same.
When I found life and purpose in Jesus and His Word, I was hungry to know Him more, and to share that discovery with anyone who would listen! Now, with nearly 37 years of following Him under my belt, my hope is what Keith Green wrote so eloquently many years ago, “Make my life a prayer to you, I want to do what you want me to. No empty words and no white lies. No token prayers, no compromise.”
Questions to Ponder:
- Have you perhaps gotten caught up in the church talk and works of the times that you’ve forgotten your “first love”? Revelation 2 talks about the church who works so hard, hates the evil of the day, and is patiently awaiting the return of Jesus, but who’s heart has grown cold and devoid of passionate love for Jesus. We don’t want to allow ourselves to be that church!!! Repent and invite the Holy Spirit to stoke the fires of your first love!! Jesus!!!
- Are you contagious to non-believers? Jesus said that the whole law of the Old Testament could be summed up into just two: Love God, Love people. No stipulations as to what kinds of people. Not just churchy people.Not just unsaved people. ALL people. Give the Lord full permission to reveal to you if there is anything in your heart that He wants you to lay at the cross so you can love Him and all people more freely and contagiously?
Prayer of Response:
Father, thank you for loving me so much that you gave your Son to redeem me, though I lived in prideful opposition to you. Holy Spirit, please reveal anything in me that doesn’t bring the Father glory, and doesn’t show His love to all people. Empower me to make necessary changes. Thank you Jesus, for loving me so much that You gave Your life for me. Please give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to love people with YOUR eyes, ears, and heart. In Your Name I pray, Amen!
—Submitted by Traci Morrow
Traci lives in Colorado with her husband KC and two teenage sons. They also have four adult kids, one grandson & one granddaughter! She is a Health and Wellness Coach and is the Relationship Expert and Growth Guide for Maxwell Leadership. Traci is passionate about healthy relationships; writing as a regular contributor for Thrive Today, a Christian Women In Leadership Magazine and has authored the book, Real-Life Marriage; Navigating Your Beautiful, Messy, One-Of-A-Kind Love Story