Come, See, Go, Tell.
What we hear affects what we know.
What we know influences what we believe.
What we believe impacts what we do.
That’s why it is so important to listen to God’s truth.
“So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
Romans 10:17 NLT
Throughout the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we see Jesus inviting His followers to “come and see,” to “go and tell,” and to “listen and understand.”
Paul explains why “going and telling” matters in his letter to the Romans:
“For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’”
Romans 10:13-15 NLT
So what is this “Good News”?
To truly understand it, let’s first look at the bad news: we’ve all messed up. Our sin separates us from a good and holy God, and there’s nothing we can do to bridge that gap.
Now, the good news: God loves us so much that He has already made a way for us. He put on skin, paid the ultimate price by dying a criminal’s death (even though He was innocent), and has conquered the grave by rising again. He has granted us the right to become His!
This is why “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
So right now, take a moment and thank God for the gift of His Word, and the ability to receive His Good News. Then, ask Him to strengthen your faith by showing you how to share your hope with others.
Sacrificial Love
Jesus, all powerful and completely perfect, chose to give up His life for us. He willingly went to the cross to be crucified, the most painful death imaginable, because He loved us so much.
And He invites us to do the same.
1 John 3:16 tells us, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."
How can we demonstrate this kind of sacrificial love in our own lives? How can we give our time, attention, or resources to help someone in need? Are we intentional to listen and be present for others, even when it's not easy or comfortable? Are we willing, if it comes down to it, to give up our lives for the sake of God and others?
This kind of love is challenging. It asks us to look beyond our own needs and to see the needs of others. It calls us to be selfless. The good news is, Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything for someone else that He wasn’t willing to do for us first. He knows ...
“And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cæsar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.”
...