Something my youth pastor always tells us is to preach the gospel to yourself every day.
You may be thinking, “But I already know the gospel. Why do I have to preach it to myself?”
While preaching the Gospel to ourselves may sound unusual, it’s actually vital to our spiritual growth.
But what does that even mean?
Preaching the gospel to yourself can be done in many ways. It could mean listening to a sermon or music rich in biblical truth. It could mean reading an article or a book. It could mean reading and memorizing scripture. Anything that reminds you of who Jesus is and what He has done would be considered preaching the gospel to yourself.
My youth pastor often quotes this sentence: “Jesus Christ died to save sinners like you and me.” He calls it “the gospel in ten words,” the fundamental core of all our beliefs.
I like to mentally repeat this sentence to myself periodically throughout the day, taking a moment to meditate on the meaning behind it.
Why do I take the time to do this? Why does my pastor bring it up so often? There are four main reasons this is so important.
#1. It reminds us to be humble.
“Jesus Christ died to save sinners like you and me.” The “and me” part is crucial. It reminds us that we are horrible, wretched sinners in need of a Savior. All of us are sinners, no matter how godly or mature we are in our faith. This truth should cause humility and thankfulness.
When I find myself in a bitter, prideful mood, often I realize that I’m forgetting the gospel.When I find myself in a bitter, prideful mood, often I realize that I’m forgetting the gospel. Click To Tweet
Ultimately, pride takes root in unbelief in the gospel. If you truly believed you were a wretched sinner that deserved eternal wrath, would you still be angry when someone treats you unfairly or you don’t get your way?
I often find myself falling into this trap. I have to daily remind myself of what I really deserve.
2 Timothy 1:9-10 gives a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us: “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,” (emphasis mine).
Preaching the gospel to myself reminds me that I don’t deserve what God has done for me and that I have no right to be prideful.
#2. It reminds us to stay focused on our purpose.
In our busy lives, it is easy to become distracted by going through the motions without keeping our ultimate purpose in mind.
We were created to glorify God. That’s the sole, fundamental reason we exist.
Jesus died so we could fulfill this purpose. When we were dead to sin, we were incapable of glorifying God. When Jesus died to give us life and free us from sin, we are now able to glorify God and fulfill our calling.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you now know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
The “price” we were bought with was Jesus’ death. The gospel is a reminder of the price with which our salvation was bought. Because we were bought, it is now our purpose, privilege, and responsibility to bring honor to him.
If we go the whole day without thinking of the gospel, then we are going the whole day without living out our true, glorious calling. Preaching the gospel to ourselves throughout the day keeps us focused on our purpose.If we go the whole day without thinking of the gospel, then we are going the whole day without living out our true, glorious calling. Click To Tweet
#3. It reminds us to share the gospel with others.
“Jesus Christ died to save sinners like you and me.” Jesus didn’t just die to save me, he died to save others around me as well.
Keeping the gospel at the front of our minds every day reminds us of this.
We are daily surrounded by people that don’t know the glorious truth of the gospel. And if we truly believe that our purpose is to glorify God, then we should want to share the gospel with others. God is most glorified when unbelievers let go of their sin and treasure God more than anything else.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few,” (Matthew 9:37). As believers (and as Rebelutionaries!), the gospel needs to be important enough to us that we dare to be one of the few laborers in this world.
Preach the gospel to yourself as a reminder to be a laborer.
#4. It reminds us that we have joy and hope in this life.
Those ten words should fill you with more joy than any other ten words that exist.
“Jesus Christ died to save sinners like you and me.” What else could bring you more joy and hope?
Jesus, the perfect son of God, gave his life to save you and me, wretched sinners who deserve nothing but his wrath.
Not only did he save us from God’s wrath by paying the price we deserve, but he also died to allow us to enter a perfect relationship with this powerful God.
He died to bring himself glory through displaying his love and grace towards us. He died to give us a marvelous purpose!
Keeping this in mind throughout the day by preaching it to yourself can transform your attitude. Even when horrible things happen in our lives, we know that God is with us, and that everything that happens is for our ultimate good and his glory.
Your circumstances pale in light of the glorious truth of the gospel!
Thank you, Jesus, for the truth of your gospel! Let us never forget what you have done for us.
