Romans 1:16

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
Romans 1:16


This is an interesting chapter.  I think the core of it is here in this one verse: "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ."  ... How easy it is to say, and how hard it is to feel and live from day to day.  It reminds me of Lehi's dream... so many people coming to the tree, knowing that God is there, and real, and actually *tasting* of his love, but then turning away, ashamed, when the people in the great and spacious building laughed at them.  And in our society, many people laugh at us for believing.  They admire this or that, but then they dismiss it all when they run into something that they don't understand or want to live... and sometimes we do the same.  And we turn our backs on what we know to be true.  And once we wander off, our minds become darkened; we find reasons to doubt; we forget and lose so much light.  It's like living in a darkroom, but we start thinking that blackness and the weird chemical smell is normal.
Let's not do that.  Let's not be that.  Even if we have walked away, let's be courageous and walk right back.  Let's remember that even when we don't understand how or why, that God does.  It's true... of course it is true.  And above *everything* ... above our desires, above anyone's ridicule, above the pain of changing our hearts, and above the difficulty of repentance... above everything and everyone, God IS.  He exists, and his gospel is true.  And in the awe of that knowledge, we go forward.  Suffering ridicule sometimes, yes... and many other things.  But Psalms 84:10.  Better to be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to be anywhere else.  And better to give up something... anything that we want, than to hold on to it *instead* of God. 
Today, let's not be ashamed of God and his gospel.  Let's live our lives for him... living his gospel will make us happier than we could ever make ourselves.  We just have to stick with him to the end... trust, and not be ashamed.