In today's scripture reading, Paul proclaims, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16a).
Since becoming a Christian, Paul had dealt with a lot...and I mean a lot. In 2 Corinthians 11, he recounts, "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked."
All of that just because he became a Christian!
But the powerful point is that he still was never ashamed of the gospel because he knew, first hand, the transformative power it held in people's lives.
Society tells us it's shameful to be a Christian. Even Christians are finding it shameful, hence their slippery assimilation to the world's standards. When we start to become ashamed of the gospel, James warns us, "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God" (4:4). Have we experienced as much as Paul has? Likely not. We have not begun to experience the pressure he did, so I pray when the world offers you friendship that you stand firm with Paul because you have nothing to be ashamed of.
Always improve the present moment.
~Corbin Riley
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