Devotional

Bagless

Ready 

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”–Mark 8:38
 

Set 

You don’t see it much anymore, but when sports teams used to be really bad, fans would wear paper bags over their heads during games. They were at the game, but ashamed of their team and didn’t want anyone to know who they were.

Jesus did many miracles and amazed people daily. No one saw this more than His disciples. They were front-row fans, so to speak. One day, Jesus told them that if they truly believed who He was, they would not be ashamed of Him and His message. Like the fans of old, one of His disciples, Peter, became ashamed of Jesus to the point of publicly denying Him—not once, but three times!

Are we ever ashamed to be known as Christians? Do we hide our faith by putting an invisible bag of shame on our heads? Is it OK to sit in church or a huddle with godly friends, then put the bag on when we leave? I say it’s time to take the bag off for good. We’re either fans, or we’re not. We either follow Christ, or we don’t. It’s simple. We are the ones who complicate it, not Christ.
 

Go 

1. Have you ever been so ashamed of a team that you did not want others to know you cheered for them?
2. Are you so ashamed to be a believer that you don’t want your friends to know you live for Christ?
3. What can you do to get rid of the bag of shame and walk, live, and speak out for Christ?
 

Workout 

Psalm 25:20; Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 1:8-12; 1 Peter 4:16
 

Overtime 

Lord, I want to follow You and not be ashamed. I want my life to be something You can be proud of. Please give me the courage to share Your love without hesitation. Amen.

Ministry