As I gratefully emerge from the trials of surgery, the kindness extended by so many serves as a powerful prelude to our latest discussion on the 'overspray' of our Christian actions. It's a humbling journey that begins with my less-than-stellar encounter with a neighbor, which has compelled me to confront the reality of how our smallest actions ripple outward, impacting our witness and the legacy we wish to leave behind. This episode excavates the depths of personal reflection and the scriptural bedrock that can guide us toward living a life that not only honors God but also uplifts those in our wake.
Venturing further, we grapple with the gravity of our daily choices and the spiritual 'overspray' that can either draw someone closer to Christ or push them further away. Through anecdotes, scripture, and a candid retelling of my own missteps and path to redemption, this conversation is an invitation to consider the enduring echo of our existence. Join me as we navigate the balance between being a beacon of God's love in the open and nurturing a quiet humility – all while pondering the ultimate legacy of Christ's sacrifice and how our own 'overspray' fits within that eternal framework.
As I gratefully emerge from the trials of surgery, the kindness extended by so many serves as a powerful prelude to our latest discussion on the 'overspray' of our Christian actions. It's a humbling journey that begins with my less-than-stellar encounter with a neighbor, which has compelled me to confront the reality of how our smallest actions ripple outward, impacting our witness and the legacy we wish to leave behind. This episode excavates the depths of personal reflection and the scriptural bedrock that can guide us toward living a life that not only honors God but also uplifts those in our wake.
Venturing further, we grapple with the gravity of our daily choices and the spiritual 'overspray' that can either draw someone closer to Christ or push them further away. Through anecdotes, scripture, and a candid retelling of my own missteps and path to redemption, this conversation is an invitation to consider the enduring echo of our existence. Join me as we navigate the balance between being a beacon of God's love in the open and nurturing a quiet humility – all while pondering the ultimate legacy of Christ's sacrifice and how our own 'overspray' fits within that eternal framework.
My website is https://www.godslovingsacrifice.com
Speaker 1:
today. First I want to thank all of you for your prayers for all the pain and suffering that I had gone through, and God is just so good. I did have the surgery and I woke up from the surgery except for the pain of the surgery, I was pain-free and first time in three months I was pain-free and first time in three months I've still got eight weeks to go to get through the surgery no bending and picking up things and all the things that go with that. But I thank you all for your prayers and your concerns and your love that you sent my way. And today we want to talk about what's the results of the overspray of our actions as Christians. And you know, just like I said, god is good and he's faithful and he can sometimes, when we get ourselves in a certain position, say that's what you're going to talk about Today.
Speaker 1:
My cousin left that had spent a week with me helping to take care of me and we talked a lot about God and we got some good prayers and studies and talks in, studies and talks in, and I'm just was so full of God and till the lady that comes down the street every day with her black dog, that comes into my yard and does its thing and she just lets it running around and I keep thinking why are you letting your dog in my yard? I don't bring my dog to your house to go in your yard. So I had decided I would go out and ask yard. I don't bring my dog to your house to go in your yard. So I had decided I would go out and ask her please don't bring your dog into my yard. She proceeded to tell me how rude I was and that I should just go back in my house and her dog wasn't hurting anything and if he did anything she would pick it up. That's not the point. You know it's my yard and I don't want your dog in my yard. I spray my weeds. I don't know that your dog might be allergic to that stuff and you're letting him creeps around in it, leaning to say she got hateful with me and instead of me being gentle and kind and understanding and doing all the things that God would expect me to do, I screamed at her. I screamed at her and I told her to keep her dog out of my yard. And that's the bottom line keep her dog out of my yard. And I went back in the house and guess what question hit me in the face?
Speaker 1:
What are the results of the overspray, of our actions as Christians? How many of my neighbors, who I tell them about God all the time, heard me out there screaming at this old woman and her dog? Not that I'm not an old woman, you know. What had made me think about the overspray was that I did spray, I didn't spray the weeds. My wonderful cousin that came to stay with me to help me out this week sprayed my weeds and as it is, you know, the wind will blow and it'll blow a little bit of the spray and I noticed there was a few places in the edges of my yard where it kind of blew in there and it had killed a little bit of the grass. No big deal. But I thought that's us when we just kind of put it out there. What does our overspray do? I had thought about that well before the incident with the lady. Then the incident with the lady happened and it was kind of like God said you just got a good illustration for your thoughts. What was the results of the overspray, of your actions? Does that woman who I did not know? Does that woman think you're a Christian. Does anybody that heard that conversation me yelling at her and even using one password at her think I'm a Christian? And that's very important to me.
Speaker 1:
There's a song called Legacy and I love this song. The chorus of the song is like my mantra I want to be a legacy. How will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enough to make a mark on things? I want to be an offering, a child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapologetically, and leave that kind of legacy. Didn't leave that kind of legacy tonight.
Speaker 1:
So here I am telling you about my big boo-boo and I went out and was looking at what God expects from us. The Beatitudes has a lot of explanation of that and it's a good place to look. Matthew 5.13 says you are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor, how should it be seasoned Then? It is good for nothing to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. I probably wasn't the example of being the salt of the earth tonight, and I'm not beating myself up. I'm telling you that I make mistakes just like everyone else makes mistakes. I'm just as human as the next person I've already talked to God about this, I'm already forgiven. The blood's covered me, it's thrown as far as it is the east from the west. But I want you to see, by an example of the things that we do do sometimes, that we don't think before we do and we don't think before we open our mouths. We let our flesh get ahead of our spirit. And then he said in Matthew 5.16, and while I'm saying these scriptures, you know to my mind I'm going back, okay.
Speaker 1:
Well, that didn't happen either tonight, so let's look at something else. Matthew 5.43-48 says pray for those who spitefully use and persecute you that you may be the sons of your father in heaven, for he makes his son rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust. If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same. And if you greet your brethren, only what do you do? More than others? Do not even tax collectors do that. Therefore, you shall be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect. That looks like I'm batting a big zero on those three scriptures, those three scriptures.
Speaker 1:
But it's not that what I did tonight was wrong. If I see the lady again, I will go to her. I apologize If we have ought against our brother. That's what we're supposed to do. I don't know if she's a brother or a sister. I don't know if she's a Christian. From the way she spoke to me I couldn't tell either way. But that does not justify what I did.
Speaker 1:
The next scripture is Proverbs 3, 27. Do not withhold good from those who it is due when it is in the power of your hand to do so. If you have the ability to do good for someone and you go oh no, I'll wait until tomorrow to do it, or next week, or maybe I really can't do that right now. That's not what God expects from us. God says we should be generous and do good. Galatians 6, through 10 says let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that's how heaped. For he who sows his flesh, will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows the spirit, will of the spirit, reap, reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season ye shall reap if we do not lose heart, therefore, as we have opportunity to do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith. Well, you know I'm talking about all this doing good. We should do good and people should see us doing good, but there's a difference in doing good and being a Pharisee. God is telling us to do these things because it's what he expects of us, but he also says things like don't let the right hand know what the left hand is doing, and that we shouldn't stand on the corner and pray out in public so we get our reward there and not in heaven. We should go into our quiet place and shut the door and pray to God there. That we should do good by not big, big gestures.
Speaker 1:
I was reading an article called what Does the Bible Say About Making a Difference A Fresh Perspective. It was written March 11th 2024 by Adam Phillips from thewitnessorg, and what he talks about in doing good was doesn't the Bible often talk about humility? Absolutely, but here's the catch Making a difference doesn't always mean being in the spotlight or doing grand gestures. Sometimes it's those small acts of kindness or stepping forward when others step back. So what are the results of your overspray today? Maybe that should be one of our daily reviews of our lives.
Speaker 1:
Did my overspray leave a mark? Did I point to Christ in that? What's the results of the cross? Think of the overspray of Christ dying on the cross. That overspray reaches to the ends of the earth. It saves to the ends of the earth. It saves to the ends of the earth. Every sin that a believer has ever committed is washed away. I heard a minister this morning and it was talking about when we go to heaven. A lot of people think that we're going to be judged for the sins that we did while we were here on earth. But how can they judge us for those when God says there's no condemnation for those who love him? We've already been judged. We were judged on the cross.
Speaker 1:
If you want to know the pastor's name, I don't remember it right now, but I will leave it in some notes somewhere or tell you in another podcast. But what is our overspray? What is your overspray? Are you gracious? Are you kind? Are you understanding? Do you help others when they need help? Do we remember the brethren? Do we remember the brethren?
Speaker 1:
This has been such this whole thing that I've gone through. The first part of this year has been such a wonderful experience, though painful but wonderful. I have learned to depend on God even more than I ever did. I have had God show me how he can reunite me with a member of my family that we've always been close but distant. She lives one place, I live another, and we talk every once in a while. We pray for each other all the time.
Speaker 1:
But one day, when she found out I was having surgery, she says when do you need me down there? I didn't expect her to come down and I said well, my granddaughter's staying with me for the weekend. She said I'll be there Monday and she took care of everything for me while she was here. She got things done that I'd been wanting to do for the last three months and in the future to do for the last three months and in the future, hopefully, I am going to have a podcast and my cousin will be in it and you'll get to hear from my cousin what God has done in her life, in her family's life. But remember, when we're out, what others see is our overspray. Is your overspray going to lead someone to Christ? Is your overspray going to add another soul in eternity, or is your overspray going to turn someone away. Be careful. Be careful where your overspray goes. Let your overspray glorify God in heaven.
