sethbartal.com

  • Bible Reading Plan
  • Free Fall Book
  • Recommended Reads
You are here: Home / Daily Devotional / Not Exactly Timid (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)

Not Exactly Timid (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3)

March 11, 2014 By Seth Leave a Comment

But when [John the Baptist] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? (Matthew 3:7)

There are times when it’s important to timid in our response to others, and then there are times to speak the truth.  What I find fascinating about John the Baptist is that he wasn’t afraid of offending others with the truth.  He didn’t mince words at all, and he got straight to the point.

Sometimes in the 21st century church there’s a desire to mask what’s true for the sake of not being offensive.  Whereas that’s an understandable idea, John the Baptist serves as an example of one who wasn’t interested in attracting crowds but to whom the crowds flocked anyway.  There’s something refreshing about hearing what’s true, and John was a master at being blunt.  He didn’t believe in a “bait and switch” mentality of luring people in with a palatable message only to let them hear the real stuff once they were committed.

The truth is, the Gospel message of Jesus is offensive, and there are some who don’t want to hear what it has to say.  However, just because the message is offensive, that doesn’t mean we should stop sharing it.  Have you been timid in sharing about Jesus?  John’s example is one of boldness – so let’s pray that we, too, can be bold.

Father, I want to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus.  Keep me from being afraid of offending others with the message.  In the same token, keep me from being purposefully offensive simply for the sake of being offensive.  In the end, may others come to know You because of my willingness to be bold.

March 11, 2014 7:46 pm Seth Leave a Comment

About Seth

Seth is a pastor, author, and speaker who lives in Batesville, Indiana. He is married to Kari, and they have two daughters, Madelyn and Noelle.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

One moment, please...
Loader
Please wait while your request is being verified...

Seth is a pastor, author, and speaker who lives in Batesville, Indiana. He is married to Kari, and they have a daughter, Madelyn.

Read More…

Connect with Me

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Looking for something?

Latest Tweets

  • Just now
  • Follow Me on Twitter

Quick Find

adversity attributes of god bible blessing character choices courage direction encouragement eternity evangelism forgiveness glory gospel grace gratitude healing heart honesty hope humility jesus journey joy leadership legacy love mistakes narcissism obedience parenting patience peace perseverance power prayer responsibility sin surrender temptation trust truth understanding wisdom worship

Archives

Categories

Links

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

© 2007–2025 Seth Bartal · Log in