Daily Verse
Monday, August 3, 2026
Sharing Our Faith
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Monday's Reflection
1 Thessalonians 2:8 — So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.
Rosaria Butterfield was, by her own description, about as far from Christianity as a person could be. She was a tenured professor at a major university, an outspoken activist, and a sharp critic of the Christian faith, which she regarded as bigoted and small-minded. When she wrote a public article attacking the religious right, she expected the usual angry mail. What she did not expect was a letter from a local pastor named Ken Smith — a letter with no condemnation in it at all, only genuine curiosity and an invitation to talk. She almost threw it away. Instead, she answered it. And that letter began something she never saw coming.
Ken Smith and his wife Floy did not argue with Rosaria or try to corner her. They invited her into their home. Again and again, over the course of about two years, they shared meals with her, asked about her life, listened, and slowly became her friends. They were not running a strategy; they genuinely cared about her. They read the Bible with her when she was ready, but they never pushed. They simply imparted to her, as Paul put it, not the gospel only but their own lives — opening their home and their hearts to a woman whom many Christians would have written off as an enemy. And in that patient, hospitable friendship, the gospel slowly became real to her. Her conversion cost her nearly everything — her career, her relationships, her whole former life — but she came to Christ because someone loved her into the kingdom rather than arguing her into it.
Paul describes exactly this kind of witness — being so affectionately devoted to people that we are willing to share not just a message but our very selves, because they have become dear to us. That is the witness most of us are actually positioned to give. We may never win a debate or preach a sermon. But any of us can open a door, set an extra place at the table, listen without an agenda, and let someone far from God experience real Christian love up close. The most powerful sermon many people will ever encounter is a believer's kitchen table.
Prayer: Lord, give us the patient, hospitable love that won Rosaria Butterfield. Help us to share not just the message of the gospel but our very lives, opening our homes and hearts to people who are far from You. Love others through us. Amen.