UnashamedSample

Prayer: Father, your gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is greater than I can hope to understand! You made a way to reconcile our relationship when I was still your hopeless enemy. I want this gift to transform the way I think and act every day of my life. Teach me more about yourself and your work of salvation today!

Set Apart

How many titles have you earned in your life? Are you a brother or a sister? A teammate or a classmate? An honor student or an organization officer? Over the course of a lifetime, we all wear different hats, and each one comes with its own set of costs, benefits, and responsibilities.

When Paul introduces himself in his letter to the church in Rome, he does not refer to himself as a son, a friend, a tentmaker, or a highly trained scholar. Instead, he calls himself a “slave of Christ Jesus,” which carries the responsibility of being “set apart for the gospel.” How many times have you thought or spoken of yourself with those words?

The truth is, anyone who places their trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior has the same position and purpose as Paul: to be a witness of God’s work who proclaims the good news of the resurrected Christ! Through the plans of our heavenly Father, the power of Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, every believer has the beautiful opportunity to help people find and follow Jesus. Even if you have never fully embraced this calling, today is the perfect time to start!

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. How do I introduce myself to people for the first time? Am I quick to self-identify as a follower of Christ by talking about my church or community, or am I hesitant to open up that topic of conversation?
2. How could I more boldly present my faith with others?

What’s Next? 

1. Think about how you could be more intentional to create space for spiritual conversations with your family, friends, and coworkers.
2. You could ask people to share their “story”, invite them to join you at your church, or ask how you could be praying for them.
3. Write down the name of one person you could initiate spiritual conversation with this week, according to your new identity as a slave of Christ Jesus set apart for the gospel!