I know a man who has been married for nearly 20 years. He and his wife are active in their church, and have had a pretty joy-filled life. But for their first five years of marriage, this man kept a secret from his wife, regarding how he had lived before they even met. This man was ashamed that if he told his wife about his partying, and philandering, she might not love him. The enemy filled his head up with lies and insecurities. And he harbored this secret, and the guilt associated with it, until one day when God convicted him and he broke down to his wife.

When he finally opened up, his wife acted unfazed. She told him, “Listen, I love you. And God loves you. And the way you lived then, before you knew Christ, is not how we live now. Jesus has redeemed us. He has redeemed you. And I forgive you.” And just like that, this man was lifted out of his shame and guilt, and the bond he shared with his wife grew stronger than ever.  Such a touching story!

The Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Maybe, the story of this man reaches you. Maybe, you have a secret you’ve been harboring because of the guilt and shame you feel with it. Take heart! God is just. He will forgive, and He always shows grace.        This is Luis Palau.

In 2 Corinthians 5:20, the Bible calls us “Christ’s ambassadors.” We are to speak as His voice on this earth; called to witness on His behalf. But there’s more. The verse goes on to say that we must proclaim the message of salvation, “as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” This verse conveys a sense of urgency: we implore you to be reconciled. This appeal comes straight from God, our Creator and Heavenly Father.

We are not peacetime ambassadors with time to spare. We are ambassadors to a world at war with the powers of darkness, at war with death. God’s gift of salvation is a message that needs to be shared immediately. This urgency should motivate us constantly. This is a matter of life and death! We must equip ourselves with the Word of God, pray constantly, and put on the armor of the Lord described in Ephesians 6.

Let’s not underestimate our role as Christ’s ambassadors. Let’s take every opportunity to reach as many people as possible with the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is Andrew Palau.

Within the Church, we talk a lot about sharing the Gospel with people so that they can experience God’s grace, forgiveness, and love. And we talk about sharing the Good News so that people receive eternal life. But we don’t talk a lot about sharing the Gospel because of the very real fact that Jesus promised a second coming. But I believe we should be talking about this, because the Bible promises Jesus could return at any time. It’s supposed to be a great surprise.

The fact is, the Bible says in many places that there will be a second coming. In 1 Thessalonians 5:2, it says “You yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Matthew 16:27 says, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

We don’t know when Jesus will return, but we do know that it could happen at any time, so let’s start sharing the Good News with this also in mind. Let’s share the Gospel with purpose, with fervor, and with intent—because we may only have today to do so.

I urge you to be bold in telling people about Jesus. Tell what He has done in your life. Share from experience. Share with convicion.                                  

This is Luis Palau.

Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered and honored for his peaceful efforts to abolish racism and racial inequality. One of his greatest quotes was, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” I like this quote, because it’s true. Love is the only force capable of transforming people. And who is the greatest source of love? Jesus, of course! Not only did Jesus love us before we even knew Him, Romans 5:8 says, “While we were still rebels (sinners), Christ died for us.” The Bible says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”.

As you go about your daily life, I encourage you to practice love. Love people who are hard to love by showing them grace, kindness, and forgiveness. Love people by sharing with them the free gift of salvation that’s found in Jesus Christ. Love people by never giving up on them — because God never gave up on you. As your actions reflect Christ, people will likely ask you why you’re behaving a certain way; that is where you can then share your faith. Share about Jesus, and His unending love. And explain that they, too, can receive God’s free gift of love.                                               

This is Luis Palau.

In this day and age, a lot is being made about a child’s right to their own choices on almost all issues in life. And in many ways, I think it is good for kids to cultivate their own interests. For example, we need more women in the fields of engineering and mathematics, so we should encourage little girls who show interest in these fields. But recently mainstream culture has pressured parents into not sharing their faith with their kids, in an effort to let their kids form their own beliefs, they say. The problem with this thinking is the word of God - the Bible - says very clearly that Jesus has a heart for children.

As parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles – we who personally know Jesus Christ - it is our obligation to impart our faith to children as best we can. In fact, if we know how amazing God is, why on earth would we want to hide His gift of salvation from our kids? Walking daily with God is life with a capital L.The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

If you are a parent or grandparent, I urge you to really consider how you’re sharing your faith this week with your family. Have an intentional conversation with a child in your life about Jesus. Be bold—kids are receptive, you know. This is Luis Palau.

I was in the grocery store when I heard a mother say to her son, “Jason, will you put that back on the shelf?” Jason, her young son, looked at her and said, “No.” To which the shocked mother said, “Actually Jason, that wasn’t a question. Put that back on the shelf.” When I saw this interaction, I chuckled to myself, because sometimes, I think, you and I can be like Jason towards God. God may be asking us to do something—to which we are saying no. But the reality of the situation is, some things God asks of us aren’t questions; they aren’t optional. They’re really more of commands. One example I can think of is evangelism.

How often do we not share the Good News because we don’t want to, or feel uncomfortable or awkward talking to a friend? The fact of the matter is, Jesus doesn’t ask us if we feel like sharing the Gospel. The Bible doesn’t say, “Will you please tell people about me when you’re feeling up to it?” Instead, the Bible says in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to all creation.”

This week, why don’t you do just that? Share the Good News as if evangelism were not optional. Because it’s a command, not a suggestion.This is Luis Palau.

Have you ever made a sacrifice? Have you ever said “no” to something you wanted because of your love for someone else? It can be hard to do. I think of this because I recently had to make a similar decision. My team and I were in Africa, trying to unite the churches in preparation for an upcoming festival. But, in order for things to be finalized and for people to hear the Good News, I had to stay a couple extra days. Normally I’d be happy to make that commitment. But this time I struggled. Those couple of days would mean that I wasn’t home with my family for a holiday and a birthday. And yet, what if those extra couple of days meant that more people would hear God’s Good News?

II Corinthians says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” What are you willing to give up so that you can sow generously into the Kingdom of God? Are you willing to give up a weekend? Are you willing to give up a television show? Are you willing to give up some comfort and security? Nothing matters more than sowing into the lives of people – specifically, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Let’s give up whatever stands between us and reaching another with the Good News. Let’s sow generously so that we can also reap generously. This is Andrew Palau.

In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul lists another thing that love is not: proud. But can’t pride be a good thing? Isn’t it great to hear parents say, “I’m so proud of you” to their kids? Don’t we like to be recognized by our coworkers for our hard work? Why, then, does Paul specifically tell us that love is not proud?

It is one thing to be proud of someone else and their accomplishments, but self-pride means being too focused on ourselves. This keeps us from recognizing what other people have done to serve us and others. When we are proud, we can only see our own value, our own needs. It is easy to start believing that we have done things for ourselves, without the help of anyone else. In truth, we are always being lifted up by others, and God gives us our abilities and opportunities. All success is built on a team beyond ourselves.

The most humble people I know are proud of other people and they are grateful to God. They know that anything they have done is not because of them. Instead, they look outward, at the God-given gifts and abilities of others around them. This is why love is not proud. Love that comes from God requires an acknowledgment of the importance of others. When others feel seen and appreciated, then they feel loved. Spreading the love of God means looking beyond ourselves and showing gratefulness for others.This is Luis Palau.

Do you ever find yourself saying how jealous you are of someone else? You might be joking, but usually there is an element of truth. It’s easy to be jealous of many things: homes, cars, relationships, vacations, bank accounts, degrees. You name it, humans have found a way to be jealous about it.

After first saying that love is both patient and kind, the Apostle Paul goes on to say that there is something that love is not. It is not envious. It’s a pretty big deal for envy to come in third on the list, but God is really concerned with envy. It is one of the 10 commandments, after all: do not covet.Maybe this is because God knew how easy it is for us to fall into the sin of desiring things we cannot have. We humans try so hard to control our environments, to make sure we are safe and comfortable; to make sure everything around us is perfect. But that is impossible. We can’t control much; instead, we have to trust God and that He will give us what we need, right when we need it. Another word for that is contentment.

Being around someone who is content is like breathing fresh air. There is no competition, no jealousy, only joyful love. It is in those people that we can see the love of Christ. We should be content because of the love of Christ within us. No envy needed – contentment can change the world for Christ.This is Luis Palau.

Are you familiar with Random Acts of Kindness? It is the idea that in order to spread joy, you do something unexpectedly nice for someone else. You do this without asking anything in return. You are just practicing kindness. You can pay for someone else’s coffee, give a big tip, help carry grocery bags out to someone’s car. You can do your sister’s chores, leave a kind note for a boss, or surprise your spouse with her favorite dessert. The kindness does not have to be big, but it is supposed to be unexpected.

Sometimes being kind to a stranger, or just being extra kind unexpectedly, can be much easier than being consistently kind, especially to someone who is not usually kind back. But God doesn’t tell us that our love is only kind when the other person is kind too. He just says, “Love is kind.”

This makes sense. How can you reflect the loving heart of God if you are mean to those around you? Even if it is someone who was mean to you first. That person probably expects you to be mean back to them. Call it an “expected act of meanness.” Instead, if you show them an “unexpected act of kindness,” not just once but over and over, hopefully your kindness will motivate them to wonder about what you have. That makes an opportunity to share the love of Christ. His love should always be expected.                                               This is Luis Palau.