Should we CONTAIN the glorious ‘GOSPEL’ within OVERSELVES?
August 13 Bible Reading: Jeremiah Chapters 19-21
Should we CONTAIN the glorious ‘GOSPEL’ within OVERSELVES?
Then
I said, "I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His
name." But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my
bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. (Jer. 20:9)
In the above passage, prophet Jeremiah allows the reader to
see his inner turmoil in the midst of his continuous
persecution. In public he was fearless, but in private he expressed the depth
of his inner emotions to God directly. The emotions that Jeremiah experienced went
from joy (v. 13) to despair (vv. 14–18), from bold proclamation (vv. 1–6) to burdened prayer (vv. 7–12).
In verses 7–18, Jeremiah regrets
his unpopular ministry and tries to suspend his prophetic activity, but to no avail. He wanted to stop
delivering the unpopular message of Babylonian captivity, but could not! In fact, Jeremiah decided to refrain from declaring
God’s word or speaking in His name. But the divine message could not be held
within or in any way hindered from accomplishing God’s purpose (see Isaiah
46:10, 11; 55:11). God’s word was like a consuming fire that so burned within
his heart that he found it impossible
for him to remain silent (see Amos 3:8). Unlike the heart of the people, Jeremiah’s mental, physical, emotional, and
spiritual life was overwhelmed by God’s word and will for His people. The word
of the Lord burned like a fire within him!
Just like Jeremiah had the prophetic word flamed “like a fire” within him that he was
unable to contain it, we also have a message
to deliver to others. This message is
none other than the wonderful and
glorious gospel that Christ has entrusted to us called the ‘Great Commission’: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He
who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be
condemned." (Mark 16:15-16)
Apart from giving us this message, Christ has also given us
the necessary authority (Matt.
28:18), the needed power (Acts 1:8) as
well as His abiding presence (Matt.
28:20) to help us fulfill our task. We are now ‘ministers of reconciliation’ as we have the task of reconciling sinners to Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-20). This
message is like a burning fire shut up in our bones, and like prophet Jeremiah let us be bold so as to proclaim the gospel
in the face of unpopularity and opposition from friends and society at large.
We cannot and should not contain the glorious gospel
of Jesus Christ within ourselves as it our mandate and responsibility to
proclaim it to others. Can we take a
decision today to be bearers of the good news to all our friends, acquaintances
and neighbors? This is what God expects from our lives today and
always!
