Ashamed No More!

Saturday, February 4th, 2012

Today's Passage: Romans chapter 1
Memory Verse> Rom. 1:16

All around us, there is evidence of the ungodliness that is threatening to overwhelm and stamp out the light of God.  Especially in the mainstream media, there continues to be a steady process of erasing the standard of morality that existed not too long ago.  But rather than waste time complaining about it, God is calling us to DO something about it.  Wherever WE are, His presence is, and thus the opportunity exists for light to conquer darkness.

So why do we hesitate when the time comes for us to speak up-- do our part to break the uninterrupted existence of evil in our society?  We have the salt and light this world needs, so why DON'T we use it every chance we get?  The answer is quite simple, and it's found in the 16th verse of today's passage.  WE ARE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.  Even as I write this, I am overcome with shame that ninety percent of the time, I hold back from saying something to someone in the world because I don't want to interrupt their life, or cause conflict, or -- let me just be honest: open myself up to rejection.  And yet on Wednesdays and Sundays, I'm declaring at the top of my lungs that what I have inside me is the MOST important thing in the world.

This gospel that saved us DOES cause disruption.  It stops the ungodly in their tracks and makes them have to acknowledge what they try so hard to ignore-- that God is real, that He loves them, and that He wants to be a part of their lives.  So for us to hold it in because we don't want them to get mad at us is unacceptable.  Never again should we look at a person who obviously has not accepted God's Son in his or her life without looking for the opportunity to share the THING that changed US: the GOSPEL.  Someone bothered to push past THEIR comfort zone so we could be saved and set free.  Now WE  must push past our need to feel accepted by everyone and share the power of salvation while we are able.

Our ulterior motive should simply be compassion.  That alone should drive us to see lives that are broken set right again by God's love.  Where would WE be if seeds had not been sown by willing vessels?  Where will THEY be if we don't get out of our comfort zones and share the LOVE that was shared with us?  My prayer today is that God will forgive us and open new doors in the same places that we've grown calloused to-- our neighbors and workmates.  May we AWAKE and see souls dying, not well-dressed or seemingly successful people whose lives we don't want to interrupt.  They NEED us to break through their insanity and speak that there IS a way out of bondage. We just have to be willing to give it away.

Prayer: Father, we have so much to repent for when it comes to Your broken.  We are Your hands and feet.  Yet we're not reaching out or going to where the broken are.  Please give us new hearts, new eyes, and new minds.  Hearts that feel true compassion, eyes that see brokenness, and minds that are NOT ashamed of what You've done for us.  In Jesus' Name, Amen!