Sunday Devotional
When I was younger, before I came off to college, I would take pictures of specific types of beautiful trees and send them to my mom. It was to my mom specifically because that was a sort of inside joke that we had together (though I don’t remember where it came from or why it would be funny). Part of the reason I would do that was because I appreciate that kind of thing, and knew my mom would appreciate that kind of thing, so I would share them with her. But looking back now, I think the sharing had very little to do with the two of us, specifically; the more important part was the beauty of the trees.
To share something beautiful with someone else is, in a sense, to appreciate its beauty in a way that one could not by oneself. If a beautiful thing is locked away to be kept private, in a way it isn’t appreciated in the way it deserves, because it’s hidden underneath selfish motivation. True appreciation of beauty includes a willingness to share it, and to share in excitement about it.
We already know from Scripture that it is necessary that we share the gospel with others. This is an uncomfortable truth, but places like 1 Peter 3:15, Romans 10:14-15, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, and Matthew 28:19-20 affirm that we must. Much of what can make it hard to share, though, is an underappreciation for the beauty of sharing the gospel at its core: if something is thoroughly beautiful to us, we very naturally want to share it. The fact that we sometimes don’t share may show that we perceive social acceptance, comfortability, or passivity as more valuable (or beautiful) than sharing the gospel in which we are saved.
Perhaps it’s strange to think of sharing the gospel as aesthetically pleasing, or “beautiful,” exactly, but the idea is not foreign to Scripture.
Read Isaiah 52:7-15
7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
the return of the LORD to Zion.
9 Break forth together into singing,
you waste places of Jerusalem,
for the LORD has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The LORD has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.11 Depart, depart, go out from there;
touch no unclean thing;
go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves,
you who bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
14 As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15 so shall he sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths because of him,
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.
Take a few minutes to reflect on the passage and answer the following questions. This passage was written while the nation of Israel was in exile, away from its own geography (mount Zion) and its capital city (Jerusalem). This poem is a prophecy about when God will save his people from their captors and bring them back into his land again. But in this, God also foretells a greater salvation through “my servant” (starting in v. 13), who will not only save people from physical captors, but from their own sins and bring them back into relationship with God (as continues to unfold in the following chapters of Isaiah). That is what happens in the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Reflection:
Goodness, peace, happiness, salvation, singing, joy, comfort, redemption: all of these are descriptions related to the gospel, in the passage above. Which of these have you experienced in your relationship with God? Take a moment to praise him for that.
Which from that list do you want to experience more of, through drawing closer to God? Pray to him for that.
Back to our theme for this retreat: one part of making disciples is sharing the gospel and trying to help others see the beauty of Jesus in the first place. Given the first question, take a moment to plan how you could share with a friend about the difference God makes in your life, because of your relationship with him. Pray for motivation to share your faith in that way.