Faith and Shame

                My son is a very happy little baby. Everywhere we go he loves to make people smile. It doesn’t seem to matter much to him where I take him or what we are doing; regardless of where we are, he finds a way to be happy. I remember being that way as a child. When I was very young, I did not care where we went or what we were doing because I could always find a way to play and have fun.

                In the book of Romans, Paul rights to a church he has not yet been able to visit. He tells them that he has been trying to go to Rome but has been stopped several times from going and has been sharing Christ in other places. He explains that it is necessary for him to preach the gospel to all people, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes,” he says, “For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.”

                I think Paul is revealing something very significant in these words and that is that no matter where God leads you in life, He has a purpose for you in that place. If you know a little about Paul’s life, he went in and out of prison more times than I could keep up with and wrote many of his letters from within prison. Paul did not seem to care where he was as long has he had someone to share the gospel with. He was not ashamed of sharing Christ even when he was speaking to other prisoners who knew the worst of what life had to offer and might not ever see freedom again. He said that through the Gospel, God’s righteousness (the part of God that has to do with justice) is revealed. Even when facing the greatest injustice in our life, through the message of Christ God’s justice is revealed.

                Do I live with the faith that Paul talks about? Do I believe that no matter what happens in my life, God has a purpose for where I am and what I am going through? Do I have faith that God will bring about justice? Do I believe that the Gospel is God’s power to everyone who believes and is not something to be ashamed of? Am I a follower of Christ no matter where I go or only when my circumstances support me?

               Lord, please strengthen my faith in You and help me to live what I say that I believe. Help me trust in the message of the Gospel and have faith in Your justice. Amen.