Daily Devotions based the Sermon from January 24, 2021
Full Sunday message: CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Is Excited about Their Message!
Good news is always exciting to share! Or is it?
A new job…a new baby…college acceptance…a marriage…a good doctor’s report…and the list goes on. These events are always exciting to share.
So does sharing Jesus make this list? Not always, right?
The best news in the world is that our sins are forgiven, we are right with God and headed to heaven. So what makes it hard to share such good news?
Our culture has done well to communicate that the claims of Christianity are not scientific, not open-minded, and only one way of believing among many. So the uniqueness and goodness of Jesus is lost in the narrative of our culture.
Perhaps we feel like we’re imposing on someone’s beliefs or somehow will communicate inadvertently a superiority of belief to others. The positive impact of Christianity lost in the fear of personal perception.
Or perhaps I feel I will be challenged, shunned, or put out because of my beliefs and sharing them. The message of the Gospel gets relegated to a personal conviction.
Remember? The news is good!
Consider…if the message is counter culture…which it is…maybe we have to ask if the culture is thriving with their message and without Jesus?
Consider, if I feel people will react negatively to some challenging teachings…they may, but remember good news changes behavior…so share the good news before trying to change behavior – God’s Spirit will do that!
Consider…if I feel I will lose something (reputation, job, finances, etc.) remember the good news is better than anything I may lose.
Why would I potentially risk reputation, financial, even freedom? Because I believe the potential and goodness of the message and its impact on the hearts and lives of people.
I’m reminding myself of this because I too have kept this good news to myself and remained silent. I know I have feared negative reaction. But Jesus is here to tell us this morning, get excited and don’t lose that excitement. The news I have given you to share IS good…ALWAYS!
Perhaps we simply have to think like the angels did over the fields of Bethlehem. They didn’t worry about the shepherd’s reaction…they just had to tell someone! “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10)
Don’t worry about the reaction…remember the news you are sharing is GOOD…in fact it’s GREAT news!
Apply: Consider the fears and hesitations you have when you consider talking about Jesus. Consider not the potential negative reaction, but rather the possibility of what could happen if God’s Spirit takes hold of the heart to whom you are speaking!
PRAYER: Lord, give me the attitude of the angels. Let me without hesitation let people know that you have “good news of great joy” for them! AMEN.
Passage and Prayer for the Ministry of Cross & Crown
Friday – January 29 – Galatians 2:20 “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
PRAYER: God, teach us what these words mean, that by the power of your Holy Spirit we have a new life, lived by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. May our words, actions, thoughts and experiences be immersed in this truth that the world would see You in us.
Saturday – January 30 – 1 John 4:7-8 “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
PRAYER: May we first know the power of Your love for us, Lord, and in turn love others as You have loved us. Focus our hearts outward, to show your love to the people around us who have never experienced it.