A Debt

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. (Romans 1:14)

Recently, I was at the Texas State Fair. I had taken along some of my favorite "ice-breakers" to share there. But, I only gave out a few of the million dollar bills. Thousands of people but no relationship, no toehold to conversation or to hand over a piece of paper. There were a few where I developed fleeting relationships and, looking back, I can now see how I could have responded better. But, why bother? Why worry about how to get the Good News into the lives of others?

What is this "obligation" that Paul speaks of in Romans? Another translation calls it a debt. If I were to experience being cured from some dread disease such as cancer, and if I knew how to help others be cured of this disease, then I would have a moral obligation to help those in need of that help. My heart would condemn me if I stood in silence while a friend or child was slowly consumed by that terrible disease. Yet, if I speak up, I may be rejected and chased away by the victim, his family or by the disease experts.

Lord, give me boldness, give us boldness to speak up about the hope we have in Jesus Christ. In Him, we have real life, eternal life and hopeful life. Without Him, there awaits only a meaningless pseudo-life, with despair at its core. This empty shell of a life will end in disaster. We may be excited about our new life or we may have gotten distracted from the central purpose of life. The first priority is to spread the good news and to build God's Kingdom wherever we can. If we have come to new life in Jesus, then we also owe a debt to those who continue to stumble along in spiritual darkness.