Day 24: Romans 10:17

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”



Have you ever found yourself exasperated after sharing your faith with someone? You know you shared the gospel right, your arguments were airtight, and your testimony was flawless. But still the other person walked away having not received the Lord. Agitating, isn’t it?


We’ve all found ourselves in that spot. It is agitating. It is frustrating. But be careful. Why is it agitating? Why is it frustrating? These are important questions. I think at first glance we’d want to say that it’s because they weren’t saved. That’s the right answer. We should have a heart that breaks for the lost.


I think, however, that sometimes we get upset because we didn’t save them. I know that you know that you can’t save them, but admit it: if you look deep into your soul and think about it, you’ll be thinking about ways to improve your presentation, improve your apologetics, and tweak your testimony. You may even look for a new way to share your faith, or the newest method by which to share your faith.


If this is you, let me warn you: evangelism has become about you.


We are not responsible for whether or not other people get saved. That is between them and God. We are only responsible for sharing the love of Christ with them. We are responsible to pray for them. We are not the Holy Spirit. We are not Jesus. We are not God.


As Christians, and especially Christian leaders, Jesus should just kind of ooze out of us from day to day. Our actions and our words should mimic those of Christ. We aren’t responsible for how others perceive that any more than we are responsible for if they are saved. We are simply called to be obedient.


Faith does come from hearing the word of God, but the real work is done by the Holy Spirit, which takes our words and convicts the hearer with them. Without the Holy Spirit, there’s no conviction. Without the Holy Spirit, there’s no conversion. Conversion has nothing to do with us. We are simply obedient to live like Jesus and share the Gospel.


The next time you get frustrated because a person wasn’t saved after you told them about Jesus, just pray for that person. Pray that the seed will be watered, and that someone else will see the joy of watching that very person believe in Jesus.


CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE: You aren’t responsible for people converting to Christianity. You are responsible to tell them about Jesus and to live your life a testimony to Jesus.


Here’s a set of verses to meditate on today: John 12:32-33


Prayer: Father, help me to keep my eyes on you. Help me to remember that I am to be obedient, and you use my obedience to bring people to faith in you. Thank you, Father, for your love and for the sacrifice of your Son. In Christ’s name, Amen