For the Sake of the Gospel

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled, For the Sake of the Gospel, was written by Karen Huang. The year was 1916, and Nelson had just graduated from medical school in his native Virginia. Later that year, he and his bride of six months arrived in China. At the age of 22, he became a surgeon at Love and Mercy Hospital, the only hospital in an area of at least two million Chinese residents. Nelson, together with his family, lived in the area for 24 more years, running the hospital, performing surgeries, and sharing the gospel with thousands of people.

From once being called foreign devil by those who distrusted foreigners, Nelson Bell later became known as the bell who is lover of the Chinese people. His daughter, Ruth, was to later marry the evangelist Billy Graham. Although Nelson was a brilliant surgeon and Bible teacher, it wasn't his skills that drew many to Jesus, it was his character and the way he lived out the gospel. In Paul's letter to Titus, the young Gentile leader who was taking care of the church in Crete, the apostle said that living like Christ is crucial because it can make the gospel attractive.

Yet we don't do this on our own strength. God's grace helps us live self-controlled, upright and godly lives, reflecting the truths of our faith. Many people around us still don't know the good news of Christ, but they know us. May he help us reflect and reveal his message in attractive ways.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Titus chapter 2 verses 1 through 10. You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine, teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything, set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching, show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted so that in every way they will make the teaching about God, our Savior, attractive. Let's pray. Loving God, help us to be good representatives of the gospel. Help us to draw others to you and your truth. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Joyce Dinkins and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread ministries.