Romans 1:16-17: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
GOD LOVES US, and He shows it every day, giving us new breath, new life, open doors, new opportunities, blessings and promises, gifts and talents, purpose and passion, protection and provision.
Above all these things though, GOD gave us His only begotten Son, JESUS CHRIST, through whom we truly LIVE and have SALVATION, REDEMPTION, FREEDOM, DELIVERANCE, FORGIVENESS of SIN, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, REBIRTH, LIFE, STRENGTH, and LIGHT.
For those of us who love GOD, who have accepted JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR and have SURRENDERED our whole lives, hearts, souls, minds, and might, and will to HIM; to those of us who are FILLED with and LED of the HOLY SPIRIT and KNOW of the GOODNESS, GRACE, MERCY, and LOVE of GOD and have put our FAITH, HOPE, and TRUST in HIM, the GOSPEL is indeed "GOOD NEWS," and we are not ashamed to TELL IT, SING IT, WRITE IT, SHARE IT, and SPREAD IT throughout this city, this country, these nations, this world.
We're not ashamed to post verses, scriptures, or devotions on social media, knowing that some won't "like" us or the message; we're not ashamed to be labeled "holy rollers" or "Jesus Freaks" because we know who we are in CHRIST and whose we are for eternity.
We're not ashamed to be DIFFERENT, PECULIAR, or UNIQUE or to ALIGN ourselves with GOD, JESUS, when it is more popular for people to align themselves with celebrities, politicians, and leaders, or identify themselves by race, gender, school, work, community or social affiliations.
For those of us who are SOULED OUT for GOD, our worship is for real, and it is nothing to be ashamed of--nothing to hide from our families, friends, co-workers, strangers, or acquaintances.
We all might not be preachers in a pulpit, but if we read GOD's WORD, we all have learned that all of GOD's ministers are not confined to standing in a pulpit, giving a sermon in a building made with human hands.
We are the CHURCH as well as the BODY and BRIDE of CHRIST, and JESUS' GREAT COMMISSION was for HIS DISCIPLES--HIS FOLLOWERS--to ABIDE in HIM and in HIS WORD and to GO outside the BOX (that pew, that building, that comfort zone) into the highways and byways, into nations, and FISH for the SOULS of men and women.
We then PLANT and SOW in FIELDS ripe for HARVEST for GOD's KINGDOM and GOD through the HOLY SPIRIT draws, then GIVES the INCREASE.
Our lives then, whether we live or die, are UNTO the LORD, and He lives in us, and we live in and through HIM.
For those of us who have chosen to SERVE GOD, LIVING for HIM then isn't a shame but an honor and privilege for which we thank HIM daily.
After all, we've finally realized like the Apostle Paul that to live is CHRIST and to die is GAIN.
