By Jennifer Smith
Jacksonville, Illinois
The Bible paints a vivid picture of God pursuing the lost with His great love, no matter the distance they stray. A few weeks ago, I traveled to Greenland to enjoy the beauty of creation while knowing that God had someone with whom I needed to share the gospel.
Traveling to Greenland is not easy. Difficult flights and uncertain weather conditions prompted delays, but the plane eventually arrived, and I joined a small group of adventurous ladies from around the world. We were then placed under the care of a 30ish year-old female guide.
Hiking across the tundra and along beautiful fjords allowed plenty of time for uninterrupted one-on-one conversations. Would you believe that our guide had been raised in a very strict legalistic Christian home, and as a teen, rebelled and started running as far as she could away from the God of rules and laws?
In college, she studied physics and adopted the theory of evolution as proof that all religion is wrong, throwing her full passion into researching our supposed ageless earth that’s appeared by chance.
By “coincidence,” I studied quite a bit of science in college and have taught advanced level physics, chemistry and biology classes, so I could intelligently say, “Let’s talk about that. Have you considered that all this beauty around us might be the design of a loving Creator who cares about His creation and cares about you?”
After college, she chose to get her boat captain’s license to make money driving boats around the northern Arctic. It’s a tough job for a young woman because the field is strongly male dominated. Would you believe, by “coincidence,” that I’m also a boat captain having driven a ship all around the Arctic with the Coast Guard in Alaska?
While we hiked along the glaciers, I could genuinely say, “Let’s talk about the challenges when storms are raging, and the boat is icing up so much that you think you might die. I know I was following God’s plan for my life. Do you know God’s special plan for yours?”
She was also working on an extensive geological research project as postgraduate study and had encountered serious roadblocks. Would you believe, by “coincidence,” I’ve done graduate and post-graduate work in several fields? We could talk in detail about those struggles and how God answers prayer.
In Luke 15:3–6 Jesus tells a parable, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home …”
My new friend had been desperately running from God, leaving sweltering Texas to go to the farthest northern extreme she could find, landing in one of the most rugged, isolated and remote places on earth. Yet our loving Shepherd never stopped pursuing her to the extent that he sent a female Arctic boat captain with a background in science and enough degrees to be credible just to communicate His love for her; to let her know that he sees her as precious in His sight.
That picture of Jesus leaving the ninety-nine to go after the one lost sheep remained crystal clear as I watched her countenance change while she considered the truth of the gospel.
Don’t stop praying! This young woman has a praying momma which led to me being picked up and sent a few thousand miles around the world.
God is constantly pursuing the people on your prayer list. He may make a way for you to have a gospel conversation with them yourself, or he may send someone else. Perhaps you may have the privilege of being the answer to someone else’s prayer for their loved one. God is the great Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to pursue the lost one out of his great love. Don’t stop praying!
EDITOR’S NOTE — Coast Guard veteran Jennifer Smith serves as leader of the missions team for Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville. She is also a volunteer chaplain for Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief and frequently serves on callouts with IBDR and other relief agencies. This article was originally published by Illinois Baptist.
5 steps to handling critics on social media
By Phil Cooke
philcooke.com
In today’s social media maelstrom, people are more than happy to criticize just about anything — especially from the comfort of hiding behind a fake social media name.
Sometimes, the critics are clearly wrong. In other cases, the critic has a legitimate complaint and occasionally it hurts. Do we respond, and how? Here are a few thoughts on how to handle a critic on social media:
- Take a breath. Don’t respond immediately out of emotions; you’ll almost always regret it.
- If it’s a jerk or troll, ignore it. I recently received a scathing social media response to a blog post. I checked how many people were following him. It was 4 people. Instead of promoting him to my thousands of social media followers, I decided to ignore it since only 4 people — besides me — saw it anyway.
- Think about the criticism from their perspective. Perhaps he or she misread your post or didn’t think it through.
- If it’s legitimate, take it. A critic can do you a lot of good if it’s solid criticism, if you take it to heart — and if you reflect on how you could have done better.
- If you do respond, be thoughtful. It’s not about winning an argument; it’s about presenting the truth. Particularly as a Christian, keep in mind Who you’re representing and answer them from that perspective. Few people change their minds because of our sarcastic or witty social media retorts.
Don’t gamble with your reputation and integrity by getting caught up in a pointless, emotional argument online. People are watching, so make sure everything you post is something you’ll be proud of later.
The passage in 1 Timothy 6:3–10 lists two qualifiers for what makes something a false doctrine or a true doctrine, according to Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. True doctrine not only agrees with the sound teaching of Jesus Christ, but true doctrine also promotes godliness, said Iorg in the Jan. 28 spring semester convocation address at New Orleans Seminary, which was published by seminary staff. “If it (a true doctrine) does not produce godliness and a growing sense of character development and devotion to Jesus Christ … no matter what you’ve have been taught, it’s also a false doctrine in your life,” Iorg said. “You must be on guard that you do not amass more theological information while at the same time failing to develop your character to use this information appropriately.”
“God didn’t tell you to have Holy Scripture in your bio and hate in your mouth.”
“God didn’t tell you to send hate messages on the internet.”
“God didn’t command the followers of your faith to ‘go out into all the world and harass people you disagree with.’”
“‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.’ What you say when you think no else is watching is who you really are.”
Sharon McMahon, teacher
@sharonsaysso on Instagram
“God has revealed his perfect holiness not only to tell us who He is, but to redefine who we are.”
Paul Tripp, author
@PaulTripp on X
“God not only has my back, He cradles my heart. To believe the same mighty mitts that set the stars in place hold me securely and will never let go. I’m slowly learning to let the Creator of the universe double as my bodyguard because when I used up my energy trying to protect myself I had none left to engage in great things and great people. My self-protective posture limited me from experiencing the amazing life Jesus purchased for us on Calvary.”
Lisa Harper, author
Bible study — “Malachi: A Love that Never Lets Go”
“No more Bethesda for you. No more waking up and going to sleep in the same mess. God dismantled the neutral gear from your transmission. He is the God of forward motion, the God of tomorrow. He is ready to write a new chapter in your biography.”
Max Lucado, author
“You Are Never Alone”
“Kindness is incredibly powerful because it is so unlike what most of us see every day. It does not come naturally to us. We have to work at it and build it, like a muscle. But when we do, it stands out.”
Candace Cameron Bure, actress
“Kind is the New Classy: The Power of Living Generously”
Being a pastor is a huge privilege. It’s not always easy, and I’ve read all the stats about 40% of pastors wanting to quit. I’ve had days and seasons like that too. But on the whole, ministry is an awesome stewardship, and it’s great having a front row seat, seeing God at work.
Clay Smith, pastor
@claysmith79 on X
“I love sharing the gospel, and I love flying through the air,” said Jared Greer, four-time contestant on “American Ninja Warrior.”
