Woe to Me

Steven’s Scribbles
“Woe to Me!”
1 Cor. 9:16


    Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:16—“Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”—reveal the urgency that should burn within every Christian. Preaching the gospel is not optional; it is a divine command, as seen in Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus instructs His followers to make disciples of all nations. Like Jeremiah, who described God’s word as “a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9), we too must be compelled to share the message of salvation, unable to keep silent about the truth that has saved us.
    This fire of evangelism was evident in the early church. Paul declared that he was “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16), and Peter and John boldly proclaimed, “We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20), despite persecution. We must follow their example, recognizing that the world is lost without Christ and that the gospel is the only hope for salvation. If the apostles risked everything to preach, how can we, in our freedom, remain silent?
    As 1 Peter 2:9 reminds us, we as the chosen are to “proclaim the excellencies” of Christ, who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37), and the responsibility to preach falls upon us. If we have truly experienced the grace of God, we must let the fire of the gospel burn within us, compelling us to speak, teach, and share the good news with urgency and love. Let us never allow complacency to quench this fire, but instead, may we boldly proclaim Christ until the whole world hears.
I love you all!
In His Service,
Steven Hugley