Being Nice?

I read this devotional this morning; it's an encouragement for us to be bold.

For neither did his brethren believe in him. (John 7:5)

Can you imagine growing up with a Brother who never did anything wrong, who never called you a name, never teased you, and never made fun of you? Jesus was the nicest Brother in world history—never sinning, never failing. Yet His brothers didn’t believe in Him. We know, however, that later on, Jesus’ half-brother Jude came to such a saving knowledge of Jesus that a book in the Bible bears his name. And His half-brother, James, so strong in the faith that he was the leader of the early Church, penned the Book of James. But neither James nor Jude became believers until Jesus was crucified on a Cross and resurrected from the dead.

Many times we think, ‘If I’m a nice person, my neighbor is going to get saved. I’ll mow his lawn; I’ll bake him cookies; I’ll smile when he drives by. I’ll be a lovely person—and that will convert him.’ Gang, there was no lovelier Person than Jesus Christ. Yet His brothers did not believe in Him until the Cross and the Resurrection. I think some of us need a greater aggressiveness in preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

You can wave to your neighbor for 20 years and wave him right into hell. Or you can take the time at some point to say, ‘You know what? Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again from the dead—and you must believe on Him.’

May we be wisely, but aggressively and radically bold in sharing the full story of the Gospel.

Courson, J. (2003). A Day's Journey : 365 Daily Meditations from the Word (February 28). Santa Ana, CA: Calvary Chapel Publishing.