Participants: Eric Garloff
Series Code: WWJ
Program Code: WWJ000009
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00:01 Gather your family and pull up a chair for the next exciting
00:04 edition of Walking With Jesus is about to begin. 00:22 Welcome, and thank you for joining me. 00:24 I'm Eric Garloff, your host for Walking With Jesus. 00:27 I'd like to begin this episode by saying this: 00:30 If you apply what you're about to hear to your life, 00:33 you'll experience a type of joy in your life that you wouldn't 00:36 trade for anything in the world. 00:38 What am I talking about, you ask? 00:40 I'm talking about working for the happiness of others. 00:43 You see, my friend, when you find yourself working for the 00:46 happiness of others, you will find that God has a way of 00:50 giving you a peace, and a type of joy in your life beyond 00:53 what you can imagine. 00:55 It's a totally satisfying feeling that energizes you 00:59 and propels you into a life of serving others. 01:03 It seems in the world today everyone is out for themselves, 01:07 and they're looking out for number one. 01:09 The attitude seems to be that nobody is going to 01:12 get ahead of me. 01:13 I've got to have the latest electronics, 01:15 the most prestigious car, the best clothes, 01:18 and the biggest house, the best job, 01:20 the highest salary, and the list goes on, and on, and on. 01:24 These things foster the attitude that I'm better 01:27 than those around me. 01:28 It fosters the attitude that what I have is mine, 01:31 and nobody else is going to get any of it. 01:33 I worked for it and it belongs to me. 01:35 In short, it's nothing more than selfishness 01:38 and the inability to see life as it really is. 01:41 This kind of thinking hardens as persons heart towards others. 01:45 It blinds their eyes from seeing the needs of those around them, 01:49 and thus it prevents them from lending a helping hand, 01:52 or giving of themselves to relieve a burden 01:55 from someone else. 01:56 People like this never seem to be satisfied. 02:00 They never seem to find what they are looking for in life, 02:04 and with everything that they've obtained, they're still empty 02:07 inside, so they go on searching for some new thing 02:11 that they think will satisfy them. 02:15 I'd like to suggest that if this sounds even remotely like you 02:18 then the answers you're looking for are right here, 02:21 and they're found in the life and teachings of Jesus. 02:23 Matthew 20:28 records Jesus' saying of Himself, 02:27 The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, 02:30 but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many. 02:33 Yes, it's in this type of selfless service that peace 02:37 and joy can be found in our lives. 02:39 Also, in the book Steps to Christ, page 54, we read: 03:17 So you see, it's in working for others that we ourselves 03:21 will draw closer to God. 03:22 The Bible tells us in John 4 that one day as Jesus 03:26 sat near Jacob's well in Samaria that a woman came to draw water 03:30 from the well. 03:31 Jesus engaged her into conversation by asking her to 03:35 give Him a drink of water. 03:37 As the conversation continued, Jesus revealed to the woman 03:41 that He was the Messiah, and that in Him was eternal life. 03:44 This news caused the woman to go and tell the other people 03:48 in her village about Jesus, and they came out to see Him 03:51 for themselves. 03:52 And after speaking with Jesus they truly believed that He was 03:57 the Messiah for whom they had been waiting. 04:01 Now the disciples were not with Jesus as He began talking 04:04 to the woman because they had gone into town to buy food. 04:07 When they returned with the food Jesus told them that He had food 04:11 which they didn't know about. 04:12 Here's what Jesus said in John 4:34-38. 04:17 He said: 04:55 Now, what did Jesus mean when He said that He had food 04:58 that they did not know about? 05:00 And what lessons can we learn from this interaction 05:02 between Jesus, the woman, and the disciples? 05:06 Personally, I find it to be true in my own life that when I'm 05:09 excited about doing something, say something like working 05:12 around the house, or landscaping, 05:14 or even making these videos, or anything along these lines, 05:18 I find that I can work right through lunch 05:21 and not even realize it, or hardly even miss it. 05:24 It's because I'm engaged in work that I love doing. 05:28 My mind if focused on the task at hand. 05:30 The excitement of doing the work causes the time 05:33 to go by quickly, and it takes away the feelings of hunger 05:36 that I would usually have. 05:37 I suppose Jesus was feeling somewhat the same 05:41 as He spoke with the woman at the well. 05:43 He was excited to do the will of the Father, 05:46 to share the knowledge and the gift of eternal life with her. 05:51 His mind was concentrating on completing His task; the task of 05:56 pointing souls to God. 05:57 He no longer had a hunger for the physical food 06:01 that His disciples went into town to purchase. 06:04 The spiritual food is what was filling Jesus as He shared 06:08 the gospel with others. 06:10 One thing I'd like to point out is that Jesus said the sower 06:15 and the reaper will be glad together. 06:17 It's important to note that sometimes we sow the seed, 06:21 and sometimes we reap the harvest. 06:22 It doesn't matter if you sow and another reaps, 06:26 or whether you reap what you did not sow. 06:29 What matters is that you're found doing the will of God 06:32 by reaching out to others. 06:34 God promises that whether you sow or reap, you will rejoice 06:39 and be glad in the time of harvest. 06:41 I'd like to share with you another passage from 06:44 Steps to Christ, page 53. 06:45 As I read it to you, please listen closely, 06:48 and pray that the Lord will make this experience yours. 06:52 This passage says: 07:39 There will be an earnest longing that those around us may behold 07:43 the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, 07:46 John 1:29. 07:47 And the effort to bless others others will react in 07:51 blessings upon ourselves. 07:53 This was the purpose of God in giving us a part to act 07:57 in the plan of redemption. 08:21 Now let me ask you, think back to a time when you helped 08:25 someone draw closer to God. 08:27 Isn't it true from your own experience that you also 08:30 drew closer to God? 08:31 Isn't it true that God poured out spiritual blessing 08:35 upon you through the work that you were doing? 08:37 I know it's true because I've experienced it myself. 08:42 If the Spirit of God is within you will find yourself wanting 08:45 to share what Jesus has done for you. 08:47 You'll be praying that God grants you opportunities 08:50 to share with others those things which you have 08:53 experienced yourself concerning the love, compassion, 08:56 and salvation that you found in Jesus Christ. 08:59 If we ask God to grant us these opportunities, however, 09:03 that means when these opportunities come knocking 09:05 on our door we must be prepared to give an answer for our faith. 09:10 So let's talk about how we do this in our daily lives. 09:14 Different people have different personalities, but we have all 09:18 been called to share Jesus even if it means that we have 09:21 to step out of our comfort zone in order to do so. 09:25 Speaking of comfort zones, let me ask you these questions: 09:29 How comfortable do you think Jesus was when He was beaten 09:33 and whipped for you? 09:34 How comfortable do you think Jesus was when He wore 09:37 a crown of thorns for you? 09:39 How comfortable do you think Jesus was when He was nailed 09:43 to the cross of Calvary for you? 09:45 Do you get my point, friends? 09:47 We are all asked to do something, but what we're asked 09:51 to do is to open our mouths and share what God has done for us, 09:54 giving Him the praise, honor, and glory which He deserves. 09:58 Now just how uncomfortable can this be anyway compared to what 10:01 Jesus went through for you? 10:04 Here are some examples of how different people share their 10:07 faith and witness for Jesus. 10:08 My wife Theresa and I go for walks in our community, 10:12 and once in awhile we come across a lady who came out 10:15 to one of our prophecy seminars a few years ago. 10:19 Every time we see her she raises her hand and says, 10:22 Glory be to God in the highest. 10:23 He is all powerful and worthy to be praised. 10:26 She then tells us to have a blessed day as she passes on by 10:30 and continues her own walk. 10:31 Another person we work with attends a mid-week men's 10:35 Bible study and breakfast. 10:37 When he returns from his breakfast he e-mails the Bible 10:40 study to people that he thinks have a spiritual interest. 10:43 I've seen another person that we both work with approach a man 10:47 who was wearing a crucifix around his neck. 10:50 He told him that even more importantly than carrying the 10:53 crucifix around his neck is to carry Jesus in his heart. 10:56 He than began speaking with the man and encouraged him to 11:00 develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 11:02 The point is everybody's style is different. 11:05 Some are subdued like the man who e-mails the study lesson, 11:09 and some are more open like the woman who praises God 11:13 to those whom she meets on the street. 11:14 My point is this, everyone is called to use their influence 11:19 in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to reach others. 11:23 That's the purpose for it; that they, too, may be 11:26 brought to Jesus. 11:27 Steps to Christ, page 56 says: 11:45 This is not only for the business man, but for all 11:48 Christian men, women, and children. 11:53 As we close this program, I'd like to leave with you 11:56 one final quote from this wonderful book, Steps to Christ, 12:00 found on page 55 and 56, which says: 12:56 And with this, my friends, I ask you: How will you fulfill 12:59 your duty of sharing Jesus with others? 13:02 Please remember this: If you're truly walking with Jesus, 13:05 you'll be encouraging others to walk with Jesus as well. 13:08 May God bless you as you seek ways to share Jesus with others. 13:14 We encourage you in your walk with Jesus. 13:17 In Him we find eternal life. 13:20 We pray you draw close to Jesus every day as you 13:24 study the Bible. 13:25 Our next episode will guide you into a deeper knowledge of God, 13:30 so please join us again. |
Revised 2014-12-17