Do you know what you have?

For the past couple of days a very simple but powerful question has been circulating and dominating my thoughts. It's a question that I asked some Jr. High aged boys Sunday and the guys in my tribe last night, and was quite surprised by the answers. It's the question how is your life different because you follow Jesus? I even put it how is your life different following Jesus compared to how your life would be if you didn't even know about him? When I asked the Jr. High students this I was quickly answered with some very standard super spiritualized terms like "well he's made my life pure and holy" or "God makes my life more righteous". Which I quickly came back with "well what does that practically look like and mean"? I was surprised that they were then speechless. I wasn't trying to stump them or trick them I just wanted to know if they knew the simple truths of what God has truly done for them, but I found out that they really don't know what God has done for them. They more knew what God had done in their parents lives, and knew the terminology that their parents used to describe it. This took me back because we're constantly trying to encourage our students to tell their friends about Jesus, but I'm seeing that that might be a difficult task if you don't even know what Jesus has done in your life. After all how can you encourage someone to have what you have if you don't even know what you have. Then got the very non surprising answer from my college guys last night of how God had saved them from difficult lives surrounded by worldly influences and emptiness. But what was surprising from them was the fact that so many of them are afraid to share that with people outside of the church. They feel like they don't know enough about God to share with others that don't know God. But the fact is that they know what God has done in them and that makes them completely qualified to share with others that need what they have. So I encourage you if you're reading this to first find out and pinpoint what God has done in your life, I promise He's done something. And then get the boldness to allow yourself to share what God has done for you with others. It could be the very thing that need to hear. And if they ask you a question about God or the Bible that you don't know, don't lie to them just say "you don't know but you can find out." Just remember, you got to know what you have before you can share it.