Ever have someone explain a Bible verse to you in a way that makes you understand it better?
I recently heard someone talking about his teenage son’s hygiene habits, which were less than stellar.
“Son, don’t you think you should shower?”
“No Dad, I don’t need a shower.”
“Well son, you need to put on some deodorant.”
“No Dad, I don’t need deodorant.”
“Well you need to do something; what about cologne? Maybe you want to put some of that on.”
“No Dad, I don’t need cologne.”
“Son, what do you think about washing the car? Don’t you think that might be a good idea?”
“Dad, I’m not washing the car.”
But then, lo and behold, that boy found a young lady that caught his eye. All of a sudden he’s taking showers. He’s using deodorant. He’s putting on so much cologne it’s dangerous to strike a match anywhere near him. Now the car gets washed and waxed.
What changed? It wasn’t the world around him…it was the son’s outlook. The second half of Matthew 12:34 says “For the mouth speaks what overflows from the heart.” Another translation says “Your words show what is in your hearts.” It’s perfectly evident what happened in this kid’s heart. It wasn’t just his words, but his actions that showed what was on the inside.
Whatever your past contains, when you meet Jesus, your new desire to draw nearer to Him changes your outlook on life. Your heart’s perspective shifts away from the old stuff and toward something new.
If you’re already a Christ-follower, it’s your job to share Him with others. Even the people you’ve written off as “too far gone” can have a total change of heart upon meeting Him. If those people meet Christ, all the other aspects of their life start falling into place. The thing is, though, they need to hear about Him from you.
You don’t need to change their hearts; that will happen without you. It’s just your job to arrange the introduction.