Scripture: Romans 1:16-17
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.'”
Devotional: Embracing the Power of the Gospel
I had a breakfast mishap, where I unknowingly drank creamer instead of milk. Totally embarrassed, I tried to hide this mistake. However, there are some similarities between this experience and our attitude towards the gospel. In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul boldly declares that he is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation.
The gospel is not just a set of religious beliefs or rituals; it is the transformative power of God at work in our lives. The good news is that Jesus Christ came to save us and restore our relationship with God. Just as I did not want to hide my embarrassing creamer incident, we should not be ashamed of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Practical Insights:
Recognize the Power of the Gospel: Take a moment to reflect on the incredible power of the gospel in your life. It has the ability to bring salvation, forgiveness, and transformation. Allow this truth to fill you with gratitude and awe.
Embrace Openness: Just as the speaker shared his embarrassing experience, we should be open about our faith in Jesus. This doesn’t mean forcing our beliefs on others but rather being willing to share the truth of Jesus when appropriate and being open to conversations about faith.
Articulate Your Faith: Take time to study and understand your faith so that you can effectively communicate it to others. Seek to articulate your beliefs in a clear, respectful, and relatable way. Practice sharing your faith with others, always being sensitive to their needs and receptive to their questions.
Action Steps:
Reflect on your own journey with the gospel. How has it transformed your life? Write down specific instances where you have experienced the power of God’s salvation.
Identify one person in your life who may benefit from hearing the gospel. Pray for an opportunity to share your faith with them and ask God for wisdom and courage in approaching the conversation.
Commit to studying and deepening your understanding of the gospel. Read books, listen to sermons, or join a Bible study group to grow in your knowledge and ability to articulate your faith.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the power of the gospel in our lives. Help us to embrace it fully and to live unashamedly for you. Give us the courage and wisdom to share our faith with others, always with love and respect. May our lives be a testimony to your transformative power, and may we bring glory to your name. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Podcast Transcript: Not Ashamed of the Gospel
Introduction
I would say I grew up in more of a middle-class, lower-middle-class family. We loved family, family was a priority. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we didn’t really know it because we had more than enough than what we needed and I had lots of toys, I was still spoiled. You know, I didn’t grow up doing things like golfing that just seemed to be more of a rich person’s sport of some kind.
Discovering Golf
I just remember I started to get into golfing when I was a little bit older and I was at an event because I got invited to go to a charity fundraiser and somebody had bought lots of tickets and invited me to go so I could just enjoy the day, go out and golfing. So it included this breakfast at the country club. I didn’t really know what the proper etiquette was. So I just remember going and having this breakfast.
The Embarrassing Moment
I think the thing that stands out to me that I was embarrassed of was at the breakfast they have all you know, they have the food and they had all these drinks and they had orange juice and water like cranberry juice and coffee and milk and it was all in these like glass jars and me, I’m a milk guy so I’m like yes they got some milk. I put milk in a glass because there’s nothing better to me than ice-cold milk in the morning, I love it. I even put ice in my milk because I’m weird like that but I just went straight for that. I had that, I sat down and man it tasted really kind of funny and weird and then people were looking at me weird and I just remember having this breakfast with this milk and someone’s like, hey, where’d you get that milk at? And then I was telling them, it’s right there by the coffee. And it turns out I was just drinking straight up creamer and that was so embarrassing to me. As soon as I figured that out, nobody was looking because it was outside. I just kind of tossed the creamer into the bushes. I emptied out my glass because people were kind of looking at me and I was like, oh man, I’m such an idiot. I didn’t want to let anybody know.
The Power of the Gospel
I was like, man, I got to stop this embarrassment right now. I know that’s kind of a silly example, but when I’m reading through 1st Romans, starting in verse 16, there’s a powerful verse, even just 16, where it says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. First for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith. From first to last, just as it is written, the righteous will live by faith.”
Embracing the Gospel
And I’m thinking about how awesome the gospel is and how God has changed us and how God has brought his son Jesus to come and save us so that we could have a right relationship with him and that that is for everybody. And I just remember I didn’t want anybody to know that I was drinking that creamer, so I was trying to hide it. And that’s a silly example. I don’t want anything in my life to feel like I have to hide it. I don’t want to be ashamed of anything, especially who my Lord and Savior is. And I think that that’s a life changer. When you can get to a point in your life where you’re like, hey, listen, I am not ashamed of anything, especially my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and you’re open about your faith. You’re not pushing it on anybody, but you’re letting people know the truth, and you want them to know the truth of Jesus, and you’re open to share about it. And that’s our job. I feel like my job as a Christ follower is just to let people know because people are going to say no all the time. But it’s important to me that they understand what they’re saying no to. And I want to articulate my faith well, and I want to share my faith well because He is first and most important in my life. And that is something that I should not be ashamed of. For what it’s worth, those are my thoughts on 1 Romans 16 and following. Have a great day.
