Contagious Joy

"Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted." Isaiah 12:2-4

Joy is something cannot be hidden, when Jesus is the center of that joy. I love to see Zambians who have truly turned their heart toward Jesus and away from the world is one of the most encouraging aspects of being a missionary.

If you have followed our ministry here in Zambia, you know Zeria. I just rejoice in the Lord because of the way that He continues to shape, mold, and sharpen Zeria.

On Friday, she came into the house and began to ask me about sharing Jesus with people. During the Gila Valley Team, she was a translator and was able to see how to tell people about Jesus and lead them to salvation in Christ. We have both expressed our deepest concern for the lost people that live around us. We spent about an hour on Friday morning discussing passages of Scripture in Romans, John, 1 John, and other books of the Bible.

Her favorite story that we discussed is found in John 3. Jesus Teaches Nicodemus. We read and discussed this passage in relation to one of our mutual friends and her unbelief. Zeria's eyes lit up as the "light"bulbs clicked on in her head. John 3:19-21 really painted a vivid and clear picture in her head about how Christians are different from non-Christians, besides the forgiveness and grace bestowed upon us.

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:19-21

After reading this verse several times together, I told Zeria to close her eyes and she told me she could not see anything. I went on to tell her that a person without Christ cant see the sin that is lurking all around them. Her "light" clicked and she now fully understands the passages in the Bible that teach about light in regards to salvation. She has seen the "bridge" illustration in regards to salvation and it was so fun to see her grinning from ear to ear as she shared with me the "bridge" from man to God. Her response when she finished sharing with me was,

"before I knew Jesus, I wondered what the cross meant and what it was about...but now I know...Jesus is the bridge and my salvation from sin."

After our salvation talk, she began to ask many questions about Exodus and Moses. She had never heard about God's provision for the Israelites and Moses as they wandered in the desert for 40 years. Zeria and I read, discussed, laughed, and enjoyed God's Word together for 3 hours and what an awesome way to spend my Friday, with my sister in Christ!

Days like Friday, are the reason that we are here and the goal in the relationships that we are building with our Zambian brothers and sisters. Praise the Lord for the opening of Zeria's heart to know more, learn more, and share more about Jesus Christ with those around her! Do you have the contagious joy that only Christ can give? Are you living so that no matter what the circumstances, God gets the glory for all that you do and that the joy of the Lord is evident at all times? I am challenged on a daily basis by my Zambian friends, who despite their hardships, have a contagious joy that exudes Jesus Christ and none other.