March 2, 2023 7:00 pm
The year was 1917. At only twenty-three years of age, Nelson had just graduated from medical school in his native Virginia. And yet here he was in China as the new superintendent of the 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 twenty-four 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” (Titus 2:10). Yet we don’t do this on our own strength. God’s grace helps us live “self-controlled, upright and godly lives” (v. 12), reflecting the truths of our faith (v. 1).
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.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Running to Win
Erwin Lutzer
Renewing Your Mind
R.C. Sproul
Wisdom for the Heart
Dr. Stephen Davey
What's Right What's Left
Pastor Ernie Sanders
What's Right What's Left
Pastor Ernie Sanders
Thanks for joining us for another Daily Encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading, titled The Love is Real, was written by Karen Huang. I felt like the rug had been pulled from under me, Joji said. The shock of the discovery was like a physical blow.
She'd found out that her fiance was seeing someone else. Joji's previous relationship had ended similarly, so when she later heard about God's love at a Bible study, she couldn't help wondering, is this another scam? Will I get hurt if I believe God when he says he loves me? Like Joji, we may have experienced troubled relationships that left us feeling wary or even afraid of trusting someone's promise of love. We may even feel this way about God's love, wondering where the catch is.
There is, however, no catch. Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says that God demonstrated his love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Eventually I realized God had already proven his love, Joji says, by dying for me.
My friend discovered that when our sinful state separated us from God, he reached out to us by giving Jesus to die on our behalf. Because of this, our sins are forgiven and we can look forward to eternity with him. Whenever we wonder whether we can truly trust God's love, let's remember what Christ did for us on the cross. We can trust his promises of love, knowing that he's faithful.
Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Romans chapter 5 verses 6 through 8. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this.
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Let's pray. Dear Jesus, thank you for the great love you showed us by dying for us. May your love change us and bring healing to our damaged and broken relationships. Thank you, Lord. It's in your name that we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Joyce Dinkins and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-03-02 20:05:22 / 2023-03-02 20:06:41 / 1
