Christian witness | Timothy Burt

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

The world is filled with those who know and have received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. And of course, those who haven’t. Of those in the world without Christ, some of them hate Christians and seem to be at war with them, Then there are those who are curious as to what makes a Christian tick. And finally, there are those who are hungering to know God this very moment—waiting for someone like you or me to share the truth of Jesus with them. The majority of non-Christians do not like Christians telling the rest of the world about Jesus—about what’s morally right and wrong, or how to live life from a biblical perspective. Most despise it! That’s why they try to shut us up in the workplace and everywhere else.

Non-Christians often and unknowingly sense something they’d have trouble explaining—the presence of God in Christians sincerely living for Jesus. If we live up to a higher biblical standard of right living with the love of God directing our motives and actions, then those around us will usually feel one of two things. If their heart is open to the things of God, they are watching us because they want to see if we’re real. They want to learn more about what makes us tick. If they hate the things of God, they often feel condemned. Not because of anything we’ve said as much as what we stand for. The Bible calls it a spiritual aroma. It’s a supernatural thing!

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NKJV) says it like this: “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life…”
The world tries to muffle or guilt us saying that we should keep our faith to ourselves. Those who call themselves Christians because of a religious upbringing, but don’t really know Jesus as their Savior, might agree. They’ve most likely grown up without truly understanding what Jesus did for them and without knowledge of the Bible, salvation, or its instruction to us. If they did understand Jesus and the Bible, then they’d know that the Holy Spirit was given to us to help us shine brightly in a dark world.

As a young man and prior to becoming a Pastor, I worked for an airline. About half way through my 14 year career there, a new policy was established. Employees could no longer share their faith with anyone unless someone first asked them about it. That was fine with me because I shared with people constantly, but not because I confronted people with the gospel. I would pray daily asking God to help me be a light and His laborer to share the love of Jesus by example first, and then word if they asked. When I was at work, I would do my best to have an excellent work ethic. I would read my Bible in public on my breaks. I would sprinkle conversations about how good the Lord was when I talked to people. I would try to show kindness and love while trying to be that light in any way I could. The result of that was people frequently asking me about my faith. They opened the door and I would walk through it with scriptures of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for us. It was always a fruitful harvest field.

I retired from the airline to fulfill my greatest desire, to be a pastor. I did that for 35 years and loved it despite how difficult it was. Upon retiring, I continued to write Fresh Manna three times a week—something I’ve done for 21 years. I also have a tremendous presence on Twitter sharing God’s word with millions. In all those years and experiences, nothing has changed. There are those that dislike me just because I talk about Jesus and sometimes let me know it. But I have also had the privilege of touching countless others through my devotions and tweets about Jesus, sharing His love, promises, and His word. And I hear back from people daily who experience the fragrance of God through my words. Did I ever plan or foresee any of this? I did not. The only thing I did was think about all those that had never heard about the depth of God’s love and how Jesus made it available as a gift. Trying to think through ways to help introduce the Lord to people, led to all this!

If your heart is to reach and touch people with His love, the Lord will help you do so in ways you can’t imagine and within YOUR OWN gifting. We are an aroma if we live for Him. Some are paying attention. Some won’t like it or you because they feel guilty. Others are curious and will check you out. They’re watching you to see if you are the real deal! And others are hungry to know what you know. Be that light and don’t hide it under a bushel! This is your significant life and there is nothing more significant to God than this! Be blessed as you are that light today!

Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

If Fresh Manna is a blessing to you, I’d love to know. Click here: FreshMannaFeedback

If your heart has been touched by God’s love through Fresh Manna, would you like to help Pastor Tim reach others also? Please prayerfully consider donating. No gift is too small.

If you liked this, please share it with someone!

Like this: