Wednesday Thought -- July 24, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. 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.’” (Romans 1:14-17)

Paul felt an obligation to preach the gospel to as many people as possible -- to everyone with whom he came into contact. That obligation was not something God had imposed upon him, but something that welled up within him because he recognized the depth of the value of knowing Jesus and the cost of not knowing him. He had a passion to do all that he could to be sure as many had an opportunity to respond to the gospel as possible.

I’m challenged by Paul’s passion to share the gospel. He was eager to preach the gospel to everyone. There are many times that eagerness would not describe my attitude toward sharing the gospel with those around me. Hesitancy would more accurately describe my attitude on many occasions.

There are a couple of deeply held beliefs that Paul had that fired his passion to share the gospel.

·         He understood the power of the gospel. He knew that the gospel could save anyone. The success of the gospel was not dependent upon Paul’s own wisdom or skill in sharing, but on the power of the gospel itself. That belief freed Paul to be bold, sharing the gospel whenever he could and trusting God to work through it.

·         He understood the depth of the need that people had for the gospel. Paul understood that there was only one way for people to know righteousness, to be acceptable to God, and that was through faith. Faith was the key and the only key to people coming to God. Without faith there was -- and is -- absolutely no hope for man.

Nothing has changed in the gospel. The power to save still resides in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The need that people have for the gospel hasn’t changed, either. I’m praying that I’ll respond to the challenge of Paul’s life with greater boldness in sharing my faith with those around me --- and I’m praying the same for you.

His, by Grace,

Steve