The Paramedic PastorSample

I worked alongside a fellow paramedic who declared very early on in our partnership that they had no faith, and didn’t tolerate anyone with any form of faith. I never preached words to them, but after nine months together he asked me to stay back after a shift, where he spoke of how he had been enduring a number of challenging situations in his own life, but how he had witnessed something different in the way I acted and treated others. This opened the door to talking about my faith, and just weeks later, I watched as this person made their own life-transforming decision for Jesus.

The quote “preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words” has been attributed to many over the years, and I am sure that someone actually said it first. Regardless of who deserves the credit, the words are powerful, and very quickly I found that the scene of an accident is generally not the place to evangelise with words, yet is a great place to show others the love of Jesus.

What I mean by that statement is, I was committed that my actions and the way I treated those present would show the love of Jesus in the midst of very difficult moments. And my encouragement is that you can do the same by showing respect and self-control at kids' soccer games, finding patience and gentleness whilst dealing with people in busy shopping centres, and having integrity and faithfulness in executing important business decisions.

Paul spoke to this in Galatians 5:22-23 NLT, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control…”

Reflection

How do my actions represent my faith? Do others see the love of Jesus in and through me?