June 15, 2018

Jesus Gives Us Hope

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

– 2 Corinthians 4:5

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

– 2 Corinthians 4:10

It’s all about the ministry. We need volunteers. Everyone needs to pitch in. There are never enough people to do the work. As a Christian, we must participate in Kingdom work.

What exactly does that look like? Does it mean you must serve on two or more committees? Does it mean you must volunteer to pass out bulletins, rock babies in the nursery, be a chaperone on a youth trip? Maybe all of those and maybe none of them.

We can get so caught up in the busyness of serving Christ that we forget it’s not really about us. It’s about Jesus. It’s not about how many hours we volunteer or how much time we spend in Bible study. It’s about how we live our lives as we go about our daily activities.

There are so many people around us living without hope. What do they see when they look at us? Are we part of the chorus condemning them or are we kneeling beside them, offering them a lifeline called Jesus?

Or maybe we’re struggling under the weight of our own burdens. We’re worried about health issues, finances, wayward kids, job insecurities or any number of other things. We forget that it’s not up to us. Surely, we’re to do our part. But it’s the power of Christ within us that makes the seemingly impossible, possible.

We say we believe that, but do we really? We worry and stress about things we can’t control. It’s as though we don’t really trust God to make a way. We’re so busy scrambling that we miss His voice, His outstretched hand, His guiding light.

And we lose hope. We know it isn’t possible to do life on our own. We need something, someone, who can be depended on to help. Jesus. We need Jesus. And we need to share Him with this hurting world.

The message of Jesus, of hope, of light when all around us seems dark, is far bigger than we could ever be. God loves us. Really. Truly. He loves us. So much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins and to be resurrected so that those who believe could live with Him forever. How awesome is that?!

Your life is your ministry. It’s not about committees or church attendance. Those things are great but what matters most is your heart. Do others – your family, co-workers, neighbors, friends – see the light inside of you reflecting outward? Are you sharing your hope?

And do you realize this earth isn’t your home? That’s a big one. Because we act sometimes like we’re going to live forever, like we believe all those things we possess are more important than anything else. Or anyone else. That’s just sad.

Jesus is coming back one day. Those of us who believe in Him will live forever with Him. That’s our hope on dark days. That’s our guarantee no matter what this world brings. Share it. Every day live a life that shows others the light of Jesus. That’s your ministry.