1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hello, and thank you for listening to your 2 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: Daily Bible Verse. The podcast set examines one verse each 3 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,080 Speaker 1: day to learn more about God and his will for us. 4 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jessica Venrokel, and after this short word 5 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: from our sponsor, we'll dive into today's Bible verse, Romans 6 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: chapter ten, verse fourteen. Today's Bible verse is Romans chapter ten, 7 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: verse fourteen, and it says, how then can they call 8 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: on the one they have not believed in? And how 9 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: can they believe in the one of whom they have 10 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,639 Speaker 1: not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching 11 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: to them? Personal stories of faith are powerful tools for 12 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: sharing the message of Jesus. When we speak from our 13 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: hearts about what God has done for us. These honest 14 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: accounts can reach people in ways a sermon or a 15 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: stage might not. Sometimes the most profound moments happen not 16 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 1: in those big gatherings, but in the quiet conversation between 17 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: two people in a random coffee shop on a random Thursday. 18 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: In that setting, one person simply shares their story. It's 19 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: not polished and it's not perfect, but it is real 20 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: and vulnerable. They describe how God met them in their 21 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: weariness and how his grace showed up when they had 22 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: nothing left to give. And although the story isn't a 23 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: persuasive speech for the friend listening who has often wondered 24 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: does God see me struggling? Does it he care? It 25 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: can carry real weight and meaning. In that ordinary moment, 26 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: something inside them can shift. This is exactly what Romans 27 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: chapter ten fourteen is asking, how can they believe if 28 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: they've never heard? Our honest stories are often the first 29 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: step in helping someone hear and believe. In the tenth 30 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,839 Speaker 1: chapter of Romans, Paul is contrasting God's righteousness with our 31 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: attempts at righteousness. We try with our to dos in 32 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 1: service and moral choices to please God, but without faith 33 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: in Jesus, it really does mean nothing. God hasn't made 34 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:36,519 Speaker 1: it difficult to receive his gracious gifts of forgiveness, spiritual salvation, 35 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: and eternal life with him. He simply invites us to believe, 36 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: and that belief often begins with hearing someone else's story. 37 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: Before we can recognize our need for God and humbly 38 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: acknowledge our shortcomings, before we can ever call on Him 39 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 1: for mercy, we must believe and believe comes from hearing. 40 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: That's why sharing our story matters. Your conversation in a 41 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: coffee shop can spark faith and Paul's question, how can 42 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: they believe if they haven't heard echoes in our daily lives. 43 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: In fact, the Book of Acts gives us another example 44 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: of how a willingness to share can change lives. After 45 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:24,920 Speaker 1: Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples went beyond Jerusalem to 46 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 1: share the good news. Philip, guided by God, met an 47 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: Ethiopian official reading the Book of Isaiah. Philip simply asks, 48 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: do you understand what you're reading? And the official replied, 49 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: how can I unless someone explains it to me. Just 50 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: as Philip's willingness to speak changed to life, our own 51 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: honest conversations can have a similar impact today. In the 52 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: Old Testament, an entire book has dedicated to one man's 53 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: refusal to speak the good news to a city and 54 00:03:56,840 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: his subsequent, albeit reluctant obedience. God told Jonah to go 55 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: to Nineveh and share the message that they needed to repent, 56 00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: but Jonah refused. He didn't think they should receive God's mercy, 57 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: so he hopped a ship going in the opposite direction. 58 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: Yet even there, God got his attention by sending a 59 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: great storm, and when Jonah eventually got to Nineveh, he 60 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: proclaimed God's message and the people turned from their ways 61 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: and repented. Jonah's story reminds us that even reluctant voices 62 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: can be used by God, and that sharing the message 63 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,960 Speaker 1: is essential for change. Whether in a coffee shop, on 64 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: a dusty road, or in a city, the process starts 65 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: with someone who cares enough to communicate Christ's message. For 66 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: people to hear and receive the message of Jesus, someone 67 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: must tell them. The whole process starts with someone like 68 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: you and me who care enough about our listeners and 69 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 1: our friends and our families to share how God has 70 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: worked in our lives. And Paul rightly observes that salvation 71 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: requires someone preaching the gospel. We don't have to rely 72 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 1: on preachers. We don't have to rely on missionaries. We 73 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: don't have to rely on going to conferences where the 74 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 1: best communicators are on the stage presenting the gospel message. Nope, 75 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: it can start with us. We can be tellers of 76 00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: how God showed up for us, how He changes us, 77 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 1: how He sustains us, how He is strong in our weakness. 78 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: It can be as simple as a coffee date and 79 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: a willingness to tell the reason for our hope. If 80 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: you'd like support, head to my website Welcome Grace dot 81 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: com for some helpful phrabies. But today I encourage you 82 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: to ask God to help you tell someone about what 83 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: He's done in your life. Remember, your story matters and 84 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: can be the powerful tool God uses to touch someone's heart. 85 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: Let's pray. Thank you Lord that you invite us into 86 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: your story, that you invite us into the process of 87 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: sharing your power and grace and faithfulness with other people. Lord, 88 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: you don't intend for us to keep you to ourselves. 89 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: It isn't a secret we must hold close. But Lord, 90 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:31,280 Speaker 1: you've given us relationships and people who cross our paths 91 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: who we get to tell the story of your faithfulness 92 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: in our lives. Lord, give us the courage, show us 93 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 1: how to start, Show us that we don't have to 94 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: have it polished or say the right words in the 95 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: right way. But Lord, we just need to simply tell 96 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: the story of how You work in our lives, and 97 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:58,279 Speaker 1: the results are up to you. Thank you, Lord for voices. 98 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: Thank you Lord that you so call it each of 99 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 1: us to preach the goodness through our lives and through 100 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: the words that we say in Jesus' name Amen. Looking 101 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: for a peaceful way to end your day, Our new 102 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: sister Show. Your Nightly Scripture guides you each night through 103 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: a passage of scripture, along with a calming devotional and 104 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: evening prayer. It's the perfect way to end your day 105 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: and help you sleep in peace. Your Nightly Scripture is 106 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 1: now available on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.