May 31, 2026 - INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE HEART

Abby Zamora-Cheng

Back when I was a teenager and part of CHILLyouth, we had a Bible reading incentive where you would receive a ring when you finished reading it cover to cover, engraved with your life verse and the date that you completed it. I finished the Bible on March 4, 2011 when I was 19 and chose Romans 1:16 as my verse: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” It's hard for me to admit this, but I chose this verse because at that time of my life, I often felt like I was ashamed of my faith, at least when it came to sharing the gospel to my friends and family who were non-believers. I hated conflict of any sort and therefore I was so scared of offending my friends with the truth of God's word or making them feel bad about their sin. I didn't want to be the hypocritical party-pooper who sometimes joined in on the swearing and partying and watching trashy TV/movies and then turning around and telling people about their condemnation due to not believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Therefore, I chose to carry Romans 1:16 on my finger as a reminder to never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ (I still wear the ring to this day).

As we talk about going into all the world today and preaching the gospel, I am convicted to start right in my small corner of the world and share with my friends and family who don't know Jesus. I can't claim to love them when I have not told them about the salvation we can receive from Jesus and the condemnation that awaits those who reject Him as Lord and Savior. I can't let the fear of people's reactions or their feelings towards me stop me from obeying God in this command. May the Lord use every one of us mightily wherever He places us to spread the good news of His Son Jesus to all the world.