Why Hoard It All to Yourself? - April 28

Read Romans 1:14-17

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Reflect

According to today’s passage, who needs to hear the Gospel and why? Are you generous with sharing the Good News?

Dear fellow believer: You have been entrusted with an extremely valuable treasure. That treasure is the Good News—the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Paul explained in today’s verses, the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes!

Unfortunately, when human beings find something valuable, we tend to hoard it. We don’t want anyone else to know about it because we don’t want to have to share it. It makes sense in a way. Earthly treasure is finite. It is limited. It runs out! So, our selfish natures want to stash it away.

But the Gospel isn’t like that. Notice how Paul said that it is “the power of God”? We know that God’s power is infinite, it has no limits! Paul also said that the Gospel is for “everyone who believes.” There is more than enough of this Good News to go around.

If you discovered a universal cure for cancer, would you hoard it? No, we would shout it from the rooftops! We would make sure every doctor and every hospital knew. We would take the information to the news outlets and post it all over social media. We would want everyone to know that a cure is available!

Well, as believers we know the cure for humankind's sin condition. We know how to escape death and embrace life. We know the key to get into the kingdom of heaven and we know the only way that human beings can truly flourish in this life and in the next. Even better, we know that this salvation is a free gift from God! Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And yet, sometimes we keep this Good News all to ourselves. Why? Well, your answer may be complicated but I’d wager it has something to do with fear, maybe even embarrassment. I’ve been a believer for most of my life. As I’ve shared the Gospel, I’ve gotten a mixed bag of responses. Sometimes, all I have to say is “I’m a Christian” for the weird looks to ensue. Some people think “it’s cute” that I believe Christianity is true. Others are immediately offended and put off. Some start asking genuine questions and others start asking questions dripping with sarcasm, intending to mock me. Others start to squirm and look awkward.

It can be scary to share the Gospel and not know what kind of response you are going to get. What if they call you a narrow-minded bigot? What if they think you are backwards, lame, and old-fashioned? What if they ask a question you don’t know how to answer so you end up looking stupid?

In today’s passage, Paul reminds us that we shouldn’t be ashamed to be associated with Jesus Christ. His Gospel is the very power of God for the salvation of people’s souls! Because we know the truth, we have a responsibility to tell it. Paul said that he had an obligation to preach the Gospel to everyone. We should follow his example!

We are not responsible for the way that people respond to the Gospel but we are responsible for sharing it generously with a lost, hurting, and hopeless world. We have been entrusted with the greatest treasure in the universe—the knowledge of how to be reconciled to God and live with Him in glory for all eternity. Why hoard that all to yourself?

Respond

Lord, what an amazing privilege and responsibility it is to be entrusted with Your Gospel and the knowledge of salvation. Forgive me for the times that I have hoarded this treasure and kept it to myself. May I never be too afraid or ashamed to generously share Your hope with everyone. Amen.

Reveal

Share the Gospel with someone who needs to hear it today.