Learn to Preach the Gospel to Yourself
By Alex Murashko
There are times, it seems most often while driving, when it occurs to me that I haven’t been talking to God (praying) for a while.
When that realization happens, I feel bad.
I then tell my Heavenly Father, who is my best Friend, my Counselor, and my Number One Lifeline, that I’m sorry.
What does He say?
It’s okay. I love you no matter what!
In other words, He gives me another chance to get closer to Him.
A practical application toward a closer relationship with Jesus Christ was given to me last month by way of Chosen, a 30-day devotional, which asks, “What would happen if you reminded yourself of the Gospel every day?”
While reading Chosen I was often prompted to not only pray more often, but to get into God’s Word more often, letting it “preach the Gospel” to me.
How different would your life be if you preached the Gospel to your own heart more regularly?
“The Bible has much to say about the Gospel. If you want to learn to preach the Gospel to yourself, you have to let God’s Word preach the Gospel to you. The Gospel is the story of Jesus Christ, who came to earth, lived a sinless life, gave His life on a brutal cross as a ransom for our sins, and rose from the dead three days later. He now sits at the right Hand of the Father as the Name Above All Names. All of Scripture points to this Christ and this good news.” – Chosen
While reading Chosen, the devotional book was encouraging as I struggled through a tough season in my life, including the loss of my dad. There were times I literally felt like I was running to get back into the book.
Chosen was co-written by Ryan Skoog, who is the co-founder and president of Venture.org and president of Fly for Good, and evangelist Matt Brown, who is the founder of Think Eternity.
Here are some of my highlighted excerpts from the book:
“If we remind ourselves of the Gospel each morning, we will wake up and live in grateful joy that the toughest battle we are going to face today has already been won.”
“Preach the gospel to yourself. No one is more influential in your life than you are. Because no one talks to you more than you do.” – Paul Tripp, speaker and author
“The Gospel teaches us that the worst of all prisons is the one we make for ourselves.”
“A concrete display of the greatness of God’s love is His personal sacrifice for the very people who betrayed Him.”
“The Gospel is beautiful. It is the truest truth in all the world. It has spurred the greatest acts of compassion and sacrifice. It’s a story that transcends any political, cultural, or racial boundaries. It resonates across history and generations. The Gospel is not something that happened; it is happening. We are only beginning to see its beauty.”
“If you are greatly valued by the King of the universe, does it matter much who undervalues you here on earth?”
“Jesus, open the eyes of my heart to see Your eternal glory breaking out in everyday moments of my life.” – Matt Brown, prayer for Day 25, Vision
Alex Murashko is on the Thinke Writing Team and blogs at Media on Mission. Find him on various social media sites (@alexmurashko). GETTR username @MediaOnMission.