"Are you sure?"

The day had been a long one. I had taught all morning, then rushed to a cleaning job, then ran an errand for a ministry at our church.

I was so tired that on the way back from the errand, I missed my turn and found that out of habit, I was headed towards the store closest to our house.

Oops! I thought to myself, I missed my turn... Oh well... I decided that I would go ahead and go all the way there and do some shopping for my upcoming trip.

I walked in to the store, realizing just how messy I must've looked... 



I wore a very old pink T shirt that said A Passion for Jesus on the front in bold print. It had been worn for painting a few times, so it had some paint splattered onto it. My hair was falling out of a ponytail I had put it in that morning.

I was on a mission. When I get focused on a mission, nobody can distract me. (My sisters know this well.) I found everything I was looking for and went to check out.

The middle aged man behind the counter eyed me as I waited for him to ring up my items. "How are you?" I asked, trying to be friendly.

He mumbled an answer and continued checking out my items. He spoke with a thick, African accent.

Finally, after the transaction was done, a curious smile crept across his face. He asked a question that made me stop.

"Do you have 'a passion for Jesus'?" He asked.

I was caught surprised, not ready for this. "Yes! Yes I do." I answered quickly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am!" Again, the answer came back quickly. Why had he asked if I was sure?

He turned and began to ring up the next customer, and the conversation was over. The walk back to the car was a rainy one. I sat in the car and thunder clashed loudly in the sky, rain pelted against the window of the car.

Are you sure?

The whole drive home, something else was on my mind. What had just happened? His question echoed in my mind. Are you sure?

Pictures flashed through my mind of Christians all over the world boldly proclaiming their faith, standing up for Jesus, unashamedly losing their life for the sake of Christ. The lost have no doubt that something is different about them. They don't have to ask, "Are you sure you love Jesus?"

They can see it.

I parked the car in the driveway and leaned against the steering wheel. "Oh, God... forgive me!" Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized that my mission in the store was not the one God has given me... His mission is souls. We aren't to go out into public places to seek something more than we seek out the lost!

What a convicting thought!

Do we love Christ enough that others can tell without us having to say it?

"Oh God, make my love for Jesus so obvious that the lost don't have to ask, 'do you have a passion for Jesus?' but rather, "Why do you have a passion for Jesus?'!" I prayed, grieved over my own mistake.

Let us not be so wrapped up in life that we miss God's mission for our lives! Let's be so wrapped up in the love of Christ, grateful that He's died for us, that the mission of our life is to win the lost!

Paul said this: "I am not ashamed of this good news about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes..." (Romans 1:16)

Let us not be ashamed, dear Christian, of the Christ who died for us!

Take a good long look at the cross, the extreme measure that Christ went through to win you, and you are sure to realize that there is no price you could pay that would outweigh what He went through for you. Let His love greatly impact you and win your love in return!

The passionate love of Christ more than anything else is what wins the lost! Let us love Him without shame!