Day 2519 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.
Romans 1:16 NIV
For the past couple of days we've been talking about how our job here is to share what we've been given. The message of the Gospel is something that every single person needs to hear because it's a message that can and will save every single person who takes it to heart and allows it to change them from the inside out. The gift of Christ's salvation is something that has been given to all of us and everyone needs to know that they've been offered such an amazing opportunity.
But there is probably some trepidation when it comes time for us to step out there and do what He's calling us to do. Fear of what people may think. Worry about the hatred and ridicule that it will bring our way. Feelings of shame that come from sharing our personal testimonies of God's grace. Embarrassment that we feel in laying all our mistakes out there for all to see. But sometimes the best way to explain the size of the gift is to show others all that the gift has done.
The truth is that there is nothing to be ashamed of. Shame is only a residual memory of past mistakes. But you see, those mistakes have been wiped away. The sins of our pasts have been atoned for. While we may still remember them, and may remember them for as long as we're on this earth, that doesn't change the fact of the Gospel. We have been forgiven. Our sins, our mistakes, our stupid choices have all been removed so that we don't have to carry that heavy weight anymore.
Christ did what He did so that each of us could be free. Free from shame and guilt. Free from worry or fear. Free to stop looking behind us and focus instead on what lies ahead. And what lies ahead is eternal hope, joy, peace, and rest for everyone who believes in the Gospel and surrenders their heart and their lives to the One who paid our debt. That's the message that we each get to share. And it's one that we have to share because someone else will hear it and that's the whole point!
We can't keep giving shame or fear or anything else the right to keep making our choices for us. We can't afford to live in hiding trying to cover up things that have already been dealt with. We can't allow the past to determine the future. Doing so, living in shame of what we've done or the fear that those mistakes will come back to bite us again will only keep us from being who we've been called to be and doing what we absolutely have to do.
Friends, our mission is more important than any worries or apprehensions that we may have. God has cleared the way for us to do what needs to be done. We just have to step up and do it. Sure, the world may judge us because of our stories. Some may hate us for sharing the truth of the Gospel. But none of that matters in the grand scope things. What matters is making sure that everyone knows they have the chance at a kind of freedom that this world can't understand let alone offer.
So tell someone. Tell them what Jesus has done for you, what He has changed in you. Help someone see that freedom and forgiveness are found only in our Lord. If we manage to get through to just one person and help them find the courage to humbly ask Christ into their hearts, then it is more than worth whatever hatred or ridicule or judgement that we may face from those who refuse to even try to understand the love and mercy of our Father.
The work that He's done in us can be done in those who hear the Gospel and take it to heart. But they can only hear it if we share it. So share it. People need it more than we could imagine!
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