Shy?

The gospel and being shy are not synonymous terms. In Romans 1:16, Paul writes that he is not ashamed of the gospel. The message translation says

I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God's way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: "The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives."

As I look at this verse I see several words or phrases immediately. “Most Proud”, “extraordinary message”, “rescue” , “powerful plan”.

These words tend to convict. Think of the last time you talked about Christ to someone who was a non-believer.

The obvious question is have you talked to someone recently about Christ?
The next question is did you really think you are “rescuing” them from any imminent danger?
Were you “most proud” of the message you had to proclaim, or was it a burden, stressful or even difficult to say what was on your heart?
Did the “extraordinary” nature of the message make you excited to share the good news with someone?
Were you convinced that your solution would be a “powerful plan” able to help solve core issues in their lives?
Did you find you were shy, or you could boldly share this message?

Work through these questions this week. I am.

Don’t let shyness rob you of the joys of participating in the greatest rescue mission ever known to humanity. Embrace the cause that you have joined with when you got saved. Reflect on the nature of your calling. Like Paul, realize that God needs you to proclaim his powerful message in a consistent fashion to people around you everyday. Pray specifically for God’s boldness to remove shyness, apathy and complacency from your life.

My challenge to you as we meditate on this portion of scripture from our daily reading is this:

Find someone this week to share the rescue plan of the ages to them – the gospel.
Pray first. Ask God to lead. Don’t wait or think too much, just do what makes sense after you have prayed. Step out, and be bold about it.

Remember, the power to save is not in you, but in the words of God that you speak.