It's Your Funeral

“Let us think of ways to motivate one anther to acts of love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24; NLT).

Recently I attended Bob’s funeral. He was a godly man and a good friend. People tearfully told me about his passion for business, nutrition, exercise, and spirituality. But the thing Bob was most known for, was spurring others on to good works. He believed in people and their dreams. In fact, different people testified to how Bob’s help and wisdom had changed their future.

The Old Testament talks about two guys named Aaron and Hur who did this for Moses. Whenever Moses held his arms up in praise to the Lord, Israel advanced. But after hours of doing it on his own, his arms grew weary.

So Aaron and Hur stepped in to help Moses raise his arms. Whenever they held Moses up, Israel prospered in battle. And whenever they let his arms down, Israel faltered and the enemy gained ground.

Do you remember people who have held you up? I remember specific people who have held me up through their support, encouragement, and prayers behind the Oasis vision to see one million people come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. These supporters bring tears to my eyes. It energizes me and gives me the ability to keep going forward, because I know that am not alone in this quest.

I would certainly love to learn from my friend, Bob. So what will people say at my funeral? I would like to be known for pursuing my God-given dreams, as well as help others fulfill theirs.

What about you? What will people say about you at your funeral? There’s still time to make a difference in other people’s lives and vision. Why not ask God to send you to someone who could use some encouragement today? Ask them about their vision, dream with them, and run the race with them like it is your very own.

Who knows? You may need someone to spur you on someday.

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

P.S. So what do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Holy Desire

He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his harvest with him” (Psalm 126:6).

I don’t always ‘want to’ share my faith. My ‘desire to witness’ button is not always pushed. Sometimes I don’t want to share my faith, because I don’t ‘feel’ like it. The more I ignore my desire, the less I think about it. And when I keep my desire at bay, I lose the inner promptings and convictions to share my faith.

Last week my wife and stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items. While my wife shopped, I stayed in the car. I could have checked my email or played some games on my phone, but I noticed some teens sitting on the curb. Then the thought entered my mind that this would be a great opportunity to share my faith with them. I didn’t feel like getting out of my car, and I didn’t feel like entering into a potentially awkward conversation with strangers.

So, where did this ‘desire to witness’ come from? It probably came because I have been participating in a weekly faith sharing class, or it may have been an answer to prayer in the form of a divine appointment. If so, the promptings would likely fade away if I ignored them, so without letting my ‘feelings’ dictate my actions, I got out of the car and begin to interact with these teens.

Do you know what happened? In only fifteen minutes, I had connected with these teens, shared my faith, and two of them prayed with me to accept Jesus as their Lord, right there on the curbside! My walk back to the car was loaded with ‘feelings’…great feelings! I was so glad that my initial feelings didn’t prevent me from missing out on this eternal blessing.

I have come to believe that our actions must precede feelings. When I act out what I know is right, regardless of how I feel, good feelings eventually follow. I think God calls it walking by faith, and this makes Him smile.

My prayerful goal is that my “want to” will remain higher than my “don’t want to.” If I have a holy desire, it can turn into a holy discipline, which will bring a holy delight!

Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
President/Evangelist
www.oasisworldministries.org