Scripture I'm reflecting on: Romans 1:5
"Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles
everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing
glory to his name."
I couldn't think of any better verse for my first devotional post than this passage, not only because sharing the Word is part of the reason I want to start this blog, but this passage is one I come up short on in my own life. As you may have read on my bio, I recently started "entered the light" going from what I like to call a skeptical doubter to a true believer. Everyday I strive to improve my faith, and this passage highlights an area where I believe myself, along with many others, would do well to focus on.
Scripture message:
As simple as it gets: Paul is telling us to spread the good news. We, as Christians, receive an unbelievable privilege of being called, but we also must accept the responsibility that comes with this privilege: which is be an ambassador of the Good News
My reflection:
This passage really hits home for me. The majority (and when I say majority, I mean a HEAVY majority) of the people who have been my closest friends and family growing up do not talk about The Word, The Bible, or anything spiritual at all. Some are true Believers, some claim to be, some firmly claim not to be; but the common thread is until this last year, I virtually never heard anyone close to me talk about any spiritual matter. I likewise fit into that category for most of my life.
Thankfully, with the help of some great new friends, I am now a True Believer and things couldn't be better. But I find myself having difficulty with this new responsibility, particularly around the people I have grown up with for the longest time. How can I preach about the Good News to them when they have known me as someone who never acknowledges the Word for years and years? "They will never take me seriously" "It won't do any good". "They will think I'm weird". These are excuses I find myself thinking, and I have an itching feeling I'm not alone.
Bottom line: I know there are people in my life, as I bet we all know, who would benefit from hearing about God's grace. We need not shy away from the opportunity to be the person to deliver this message just out of fear of rejection or failure. If it wasn't for others relaying the Word to me, I wouldn't be typing this out right now.
Ask yourself: Is there someone today you can share God's work with? If there is, welcome the opportunity! If there is not, always be ready for the moment where there is someone! It will inevitably happen.
Final Thought:
Spreading the Word in today's society seems scarier by each passing day. Our country has gotten to a point where many view Christians as weird or crazy, a concept that would have been a crazy thought just a few decades ago. We now live in a society where public figures are discouraged from speaking about anything religious, and our schools and public institutions are quickly shying away from this as well. For all of you sports fans out there, take Tim Tebow as a golden example. The sports fanatic in me could write pages on this, but the bottom line is there is a large segment of fans who laugh at tebow, find him weird, and even some that hate him....for what? simply because he acknowledges his Christian faith publicly? thanks Jesus Christ during public interviews? says a prayer after a touchdown?
I am as guilty as anyone of using this changing worldview as an excuse to keep my faith silent when in conversation with others. But this attitude is unacceptable. If we as Christians do not openly speak of our views and spread the Word, then we are essentially saying we accept the way things are going. I don't think any of us wants to live in such a world.
Spread the Word! I think we will be pleasantly surprised by the results we receive!
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