**Sip Saturday is written by our Saturday morning contributor, M.H. Elrich. A beautifully gifted Christian author who seeks to honor the Trinity in her writing. She hopes that her words will encourage women to draw closer to God, whether that is through her fantasy series or her weekly devotionals.
Cornerstone Scripture:
That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,
“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”
-Hebrews 2:11B-12 ESV
“I know you’re a Christian,” Professor Iyasere said to my friend before turning to me. “But are you?”
I swallowed, my mouth dry. His words hit me in the gut. After all, I had always abided by the “show them by your works” philosophy at school and in life. Yet, my works were not enough for the professor to recognize that I was a believer. Unintentionally, I had not spoken up when I could. From that point on, I made extra effort to express my beliefs in and out of the classroom. He had no doubt about my faith then.
There are many places where our faith is silenced. One of those is the workplace. Many Christians, afraid to lose their jobs, are unwilling to speak up. I am not one to judge every single of your situations. But I will say this: have you listened to the Holy Spirit and followed his calling to speak when you can?
One of my Bible Study leaders once said that we can pray for Holy Spirit moments and spaces where God gives us an opportunity to preach the gospel to others. These come in ways we don’t expect, whether it is a friend asking for help or a co-worker expressing that we always seem joyful, why is that? These are opportunities to share about the faith we have in a non-assuming way.
We shouldn’t keep our faith to ourselves. This passage in Hebrews points out that we are members of God’s family (Romans 8:15). We should not be ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16), but instead declare what He has done to others (thus, the words, ‘I will sing your praise.’). In fact, Jesus warned what would happen to those who were ashamed to declare His word:
“For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” -Mark 8:38 ESV
One of the definitions of ashamed is “reluctant or unwilling to do something because of shame or embarrassment” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Is this the case with you? I know that when the professor confronted me, I realized I fit this definition. I didn’t want to speak up because I knew how awkward it could be. Yet, his words hit home, and now I listen to the Holy Spirit about when to tell of His name before others.
Let’s pray.
Dear Lord, give me the courage to speak up when you provide the opportunity. Let me not be ashamed of your gospel, but speak of it to all who are in need. In your Son’s name, Amen.
Recently, I, M.H., had a series of medical emergencies. You can read the full story here, but if you feel led, you can also donate using this link.
Thank you very much.