If your family doesn’t appreciate your faith, take heart. Jesus faced the same thing in His family. But remember, the Bible is full of stories about families and their faith in God. May you continue to pray for the salvation of your family and remember never to give up. My mom and dad professed faith in Jesus because of my preaching and eventually understood my teenage preoccupation with the Lawrence Welk singers.

Go Tell it on the Mountain is an African American spiritual song dating back to 1865. It is now known as a Christmas hymn announcing that Jesus Christ is born. When I sing this wondrous song, I think of Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'”

I have learned over the years that Evangelism is Relational. It begins with your relationship with Jesus Christ. It spreads within the circle of relationships you have with family, co-workers, neighbors, and others that the Lord has brought into your lives. Evangelism begins not with talking to others about Jesus but by talking with Jesus about others.

This past weekend, I was in the Boston area to teach the Go and Tell Evangelism Workshop and preach at Fairlawn CRC church. I flew into Logan Airport in Boston and was happy to meet my church contact, Brandon. We had a great lunch together and talked about the Boston area. As we were driving to the church, he told me that we were near the starting line of the Boston marathon and asked me if I wanted to see it. I was excited to hear this and told him I would love to visit this famous landmark.

One of the most important things to do before you share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others is that you need to pray for the lost by their name. You need to pray daily for the lost. You are praying for those people that God has put in your sphere of influence. You need to pray for them by their name that they would come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Trusting that the Lord will not only use you but through your prayers, He will send someone else to share the gospel with them.

In our devotional today, I want to ask you a couple questions: Where do you find strength in times of trouble? What is the anchor for your soul to help you to endure the storms of life?