Not Cheap News

“Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.” - 1 Thessalonians 2:7

I’ve been making my way through the New Testament during my morning time of reading and prayer. A few days ago I ran into a verse I had previously highlighted in 1 Thessalonians 2:7 which says, “Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well”. Too often, good intentioned Christians are (dare I say) reckless with the gospel. We share it in a way that makes the message and the people who hear it feel like a mass produced item on an assembly line. Romans 10:14 is clear that in order for a person to believe the gospel, they must hear it, but as Paul states here, it’s often much more than that. Paul is clear that he didn't just share the good news message and move on, He actually loved the Thessalonians enough to share his very life with them. After reading this verse again, I was reminded that the gospel which means “good news” is not cheap news. It cost Jesus his life and I believe in most cases, when we share it with others it should coincide with sharing our lives with them as well.