Page 93 - Grace150 Devotional

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness,
filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another... I make it my ambition to
preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone
else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will
see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Romans 15:14, 20–24

In Romans 15, the apostle Paul discusses an important quality in a healthy
church: believers are intentionally helping each other grow. It is a quality I have
noticed at Grace Presbyterian Church. We have seen church members regularly
teach, encourage, and strengthen each other. As the church passes 150 years,
members who care for and lead each other will continue to be as important in
the future as they have been in the past. Who are you being called to help grow?
Paul also wants to pursue his ambition to share the gospel where there were no
churches at the time. Sometimes ambition feels like a bad word to Christians.
Unless their ambition is to worship or to serve, it can sound like a term that only
belongs in the secular world. But Paul is unashamed of his ambition to plant a
church in a territory without any churches. This passage shows us that ambition
is actually a description of God’s heart.
Grace Presbyterian Church has also shared Paul’s missionary ambition. Continu-
ing to develop and send out missionaries with prayer and financial support, is a
strength of Grace that I hope and trust will continue for years to come. What role
will you play in missions? What is your ambition in reaching the lost?

Lord, we pray for Your help as we intentionally seek to grow and strengthen
each other. And we pray that You would continue to use Grace Presbyterian
for Your ambition of spreading the gospel.
– Martin Smith

devotions for the journey DAY 86