I Am Not Ashamed

          There may have been a point in my early life when I thought that everyone was a believer in God in some way shape or form.  It seemed that in our town of Rolling Prairie, Indiana everyone would go to church on Sunday morning.  The Catholic churches were more in the country except for the city of La Porte.  Our part of Indiana had a lot of Germans and Polish people and it seemed as if you were either Lutheran or Catholic.  There were a lot of churches that had no denomination attached to their name.  At least, I didn't recall what the denominations were.  I always thought that everyone had already accepted the fact that God existed and that they went to their church to worship Him in their way.  I guess I was naive to say the least.  Romans 1:16-17 says, "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.  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."  
      The Apostle Paul penned these words in the Book of Romans and it has become a verse that many quote as to their own regard for God, salvation, heaven, hell and anything else religious.  It has become a part of the three "I am" statements that Paul makes in the opening chapter of this book.   Now, however, I have discovered that there are a lot of people that do not even believe in God, that is, they don't even believe that He exists in the first place.  Maybe I have had my head stuck in the sand and now the truth of the condition of the world is more visible.  What is even more surprising is that the people, especially those of this culture and of this time, have come up with a system of beliefs that is so far to the opposite of belief in God that it almost blows my mind.  I mentioned recently the discussion about atheist beliefs, but in connection with that to assume that we have come about by the collection of star dust is a real fairy tale.  That theory would take a lot more faith than the Christian's belief in God and how He operates in the universe.  Paul stated that he was not ashamed of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The definition of the gospel is given in First Corinthians 15:1-4.  Basically it contains the facts of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I will say along with the Apostle Paul, I am not ashamed of this gospel either.  How about you?  Are you ashamed in the gospel of Christ?  Praise God today for His clear message to us in His Holy Word.