Verse: Romans 10:14
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
Devotional Thoughts:
Think of a goal that you set, and then went on to achieve. How did you do it? What got you there?
I think of how I, when I was in high school, knew that I was going into the ministry. It was kind of daunting. I knew that I would have to spend about 7 years in undergraduate and postgraduate studies. So there would be steps to take – keep a high GPA, score well on the ACT, get the college scholarship. Then, I had to maintain a high GPA in college, write a great paper, and interview well to get into an excellent seminary program.
Think about the goals you’ve set out to achieve, and then went on to reach. There were certain steps you had to take. You had to plan to achieve that goal. We do this for things we think are important to us. We have a plan because we take the responsibility upon ourselves to accomplish these things.
Let me ask you this question then – What, then, is your plan to accomplish the goal we’ve been given of making disciples? What is your plan to witness to unbelievers? Do you have a plan?
We have a plan for everything else in our lives. We must have a plan to reach unbelievers with the Gospel. As Paul said, “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?”
Points to Ponder:
We have a responsibility. A Great Commission responsibility. But it’s not just “our” responsibility.
When I was in high school, I was going through training to be a lifeguard, and they were teaching us about all the different emergencies that could happen. I found it interesting that the first thing a lifeguard is supposed to do – before giving someone care and medical attention – is to look someone in the eyes, point at them, and say, “You call 911.” Why the emphasis on pointing at someone? Why the intentionality to look someone in the eyes? Why couldn’t I just quickly yell, “Someone call 911!” and get on with what I needed to do?
Here’s why – Research had found that if you just yell at the crowd gathering around to call, no one would.
That’s because when something is everyone’s responsibility, then it becomes no one’s responsibility.
The same thing is true of the Great Commission. As long as we think of making disciples as everyone’s responsibility, it ends up being no one’s responsibility.
We need a shift in focus. How are they to believe if they’ve never heard? It’s not our responsibility. It’s mine. What’s the plan?
