Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word,
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.

(Fanny Crosby)

I love to tell the story,
’Twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus and His love.

As we come intimately involved with the story of Jesus, God’s Son sent to save the world of all our sins, we never seem to tire of yet another story from Jesus that tells us what to expect when we love Him back. 

Jesus—just saying His Name gives us encouragement when worries leap into our thoughts. 

Jesus—the One and Only we trust with laying all our burdens and concerns for others at His feet in prayer. 

Jesus—The One who embodied a love greater than us, a love that is beyond our human thinking, a love than held him to a cross of shame until the work of paying our debt of sin was finished. 

Jesus—who died and rose again to give us hope for a future with Him for eternity and is preparing a place for us!

Jesus—the best storyteller on earth who showed us to Way to God, the Truth about God along with how to live a full Life with God now and forever!

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there’s just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain;
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there’s something about that name.
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there’s something about that name…

(Bill and Gloria Gather)

Mark 4, The Message

Never Without a Story

^26-29 Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!

^30-32 “How can we picture God’s kingdom? What kind of story can we use? It’s like an acorn. When it lands on the ground it is quite small as seeds go, yet once it is planted it grows into a huge oak tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it.”

^33-34 With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus told stories that FIT His audience.  His stories about farmers and seeds resonated with those listening who were Sowers of seeds, expecting a harvest for their families’ survival! The farmers listening would agree they didn’t know how a small seed planted in the ground would grow and mature to provide food or give shade in the summer.  They just knew it would happen.

God’s Kingdom work was compared to planting seeds.  We don’t have to know all the details of why God loves us the way He does—He just does and we tell others the story by planting seeds of His Truth.  We don’t have to know all the details of how our problems will be resolved or how a way is made through a sea of overwhelming circumstances, we just trust God’s process and depend on Him for all of life.  Then we testify what Jesus does for those who ask and believe in Him!  We don’t need to question our worthiness or value—Jesus died for ALL.  If fact, “God demonstrated His love for us—while were yet sinners, Christ died for us!, says Paul.  (Romans 5:8)

Yes, we don’t know about tomorrow, as the song goes, but we know Who holds our hand through all of life provided all that we need.  God is for us, not against us. Plant those seeds of Truth—let God do the rest!  We don’t have to know how He works, just that He is always at work!

Believers know Jesus was sent to earth as the Way, the only Way, back to God.  We must also realize that God does not anyone to perish but to be reconciled to Him through Jesus and simply love Him back.  “We love Him because He first loved us,” says John, the beloved disciples who walked with Jesus and learned just how deep the Father’s love is for us. (1 John 4:19) It is this same John who wrote THE verse that even those who don’t know God have seen written on the foreheads of believing sports stars, on buildings, in the spectators stands, as well as preached from platforms of Truth.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

Want to be more and more like Jesus?  Never be without a story about what Jesus has done in our lives!  His Holy Spirit will give us the words at just the right time and place.  Take Paul’s advice in seed planting:

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:2-6

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love;
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true,
It satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.

Lord,

Thank you for opportunities to tell YOUR story for your glory and praise.  I am grateful for all you have done for me and in me.  Help me to tell your story simply and clearly so others will know you, too.

In Jesus Name, Amen

I don’t know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to gray.
I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I’ll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Many things about tomorrow,
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.