Your Friends and Family are Special to God

Scripture: "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9).

A friend of mine just told me about a television show she likes. She said, "When I find something really good, I get excited, and I want to tell my friends about it." What about you? is there anything you think is really wonderful, which you want to tell people about?

Amazing Things

One day, in the course of His travels, Jesus stopped at a well in a Samaritan village. He met a woman there and told her amazing things, revealing, "I AM the Messiah!" (John 4:26). She was so excited that she "left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone" (John 4:28). Have you ever learned something so amazing that you can’t wait to tell everyone about it?

His Message

On the morning of Jesus' resurrection, His followers found His tomb empty, but "they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead" (John 20:9). Mary Magdalene stayed behind, weeping. But Jesus appeared to her, proving His triumph over death. He instructed her to tell the others about the miracle, and she obeyed: "Mary Magdalene found the Disciples and told them, 'I have seen the Lord!' Then she gave them His message" (John 20:18). When the Lord instructs you to share His words, how do you respond?

Good News

When the Samaritan woman told her people about Jesus, "many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because [of what] the woman had said" (John 4:39). But when Mary Magdalene "told [the Disciples] that Jesus was alive and she had seen Him, they didn’t believe her" (Mark 16:11) until He appeared to them Himself.

Jesus told His followers, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone" (Mark 16:15). Today, His followers carry on with the task. As in Jesus’ day, some will believe; but other times, even our dearest friends or family members will refuse God’s truth. When the Lord asks you to tell others the Good News, will you run to do it, like the Samaritan woman and Mary Magdalene?