Romans 14:1

Devotional Thoughts

By Gary Wilkerson

Having the mind of Christ sounds like a deep theological mystery. But in reality, it’s very simple: We carry a light into the world because we have Jesus in us. And he commands us not to hide that light under a bushel of fear. We think of his light as shining forth to open the eyes of the lost. Yet it also enlightens our own minds so we know how to minister.

A few months ago, Kelly and I were running errands at the local mall. I stopped at a kiosk where a young man was demonstrating a machine that sends electric signals through the body. I can’t think of any item I’ll ever need less, but I told him, “Hook me up.” Just when he was about to flip the switch—and I was having second thoughts—his boss walked up. And I was moved to talk to her about Jesus.

She quickly stopped me, saying, “I’m Jewish.” That’s enough to put a halt to any talk of the gospel today. In our cultural climate, it’s a no-no for Christians to witness to people from other religions. First of all, it’s seen not as loving but as proselytizing. Second, it implies that others are wrong—another cultural no-no. I didn’t care, because I sensed I had the mind of Christ.

“That’s okay, Jesus loves Jewish people,” I said. “In fact, he was one! Besides, he also loves Muslims, Buddhists, atheists and everyone else.”

She relaxed at that. And so I asked if she needed prayer for anything. Immediately she opened her pocketbook and showed me a picture of her two-year-old daughter. “I get so nervous about her,” she said, clearly worried about the world her little girl would grow up in. “Yes, I’d love prayer.”

Kelly and I took her hands and prayed with her—right in the center of the mall, as an electric-signal machine beeped away nearby.

If we trust him, the Holy Spirit will take us into the unlikeliest places to share the Father’s love—places we would never see as harvest fields. Yet that’s where he does his work—so it’s where we need to be.