Bold and Ready

ALL – Psalm 71:1-24
ALL – Proverbs 24:9-10
OT – Isaiah 57:15-59:21
NT – Philippians 1:1-26

Interesting passage for the day: For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that will cause me to be ashamed of myself but that I will always be ready to speak out boldly for Christ while I am going through all these trials here, just as I have in the past; and that I will always be an honor to Christ, whether I live or whether I must die. – Philippians 1:20, The Living Bible

Thought: Do you notice what would make Paul feel ashamed? He would feel ashamed if he were not ready to speak out boldly for Jesus at any point, no matter what trials he was facing.

Easy to say.

But for Paul, it was serious. He meant business.

Would I feel ashamed if I weren’t ready to boldly speak up for Jesus? Do I? I think I’m pretty sensitive to my opportunities to speak for Jesus. But when I’m faced with the choice—to speak up or not to—do I speak up?

It’s one thing to be sensitive enough to our opportunities to speak up for Jesus that we feel ashamed when we miss our chances. It’s another thing to get to the point where we don’t need to feel ashamed, where we gently, passionately and boldly point people to Jesus instead of passing up our opportunities and walking away with our shoulders hanging.

Question: How do you develop a sensitivity to openings for sharing about Jesus? What helps you to be bold when you need to be bold?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

I Laugh in the Face of Danger

ALL – Psalm 45:1-17
ALL – Proverbs 10:22
OT – Leviticus 25:47-27:13
NT – Mark 10:32-52

Do you laugh in the face of danger? Or at least, can you look into the eyes of danger and calmly step forward, knowing the pain that you will definitely experience and choosing to go through it fearlessly? Jesus did. And Christians should. As Jesus headed toward Jerusalem with His disciples, He said:

They will mock me and spit on me and flog me with their whips and kill me; but after three days I will come back to life again. – Mark 10:34, The Living Bible

Jesus sounds so matter of fact. He knows what’s coming. Yet His disciples aren’t giving Him a pep talk; Jesus is leading them to Jerusalem.

How could Jesus do this? Here’s how. “For the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). He knew He would rise again. And He knew that He would enable us to join Him in rising from the dead.

So what about us? Do we really believe we’ll rise from the dead? Our unwillingness to boldly and courageously stand for the gospel and for our King might say otherwise. Do we look at danger and flee? Or do we walk through danger, gladly and vibrantly carrying the gospel in our hearts and mouths, knowing that on the other side of the cross is the resurrection? Let’s trust in God’s power to raise the dead; let’s carry the gospel into the face of danger.

What makes you fear sharing the gospel? Are you willing to trust Jesus with it and move forward anyway?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.