Responding to God at All Times
Throughout our lives, we will experience both suffering and joy. We will have times of great grief and times of overflowing happiness. Sometimes, they’ll be separate seasons—but sometimes these experiences come together.
In either case, James expected Christians to come to God. If someone was suffering, prayer was the call to action. If someone was cheerful, people were to praise God.
This might seem obvious, but when suffering clouds our thinking, we can sometimes forget to prioritize prayer. And when things are going well and we are cheerful, it’s easy to just enjoy our season and not think to praise God for it. But every season of life is actually just an opportunity to put into practice what James wrote about…
When we are suffering, let us pray. When those around us are suffering, let us pray. When we are cheerful or happy, let us praise God. When others are happy, let us praise God with them. In every circumstance or situation, let’s go to God with everything, and trust Him with everything.
When we do that, we keep our eyes on Jesus, and He helps us endure every situation we face.
So what are you facing right now? Take a moment to pray to God and tell Him all you’re going through. Then, reflect on the good things happening in your life, and tell God, “Thank You.”
The Mission of the Church
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, he spent 40 days on earth ministering to people and preparing His disciples for life without Him. Jesus planned on leaving earth and ascending to heaven, but before doing so, He gave His disciples a mission found in Matthew 28:19-20. We often call this The Great Commission.
The Great Commission begins with getting up and going to places where people need to hear about the good news of Jesus. This doesn’t mean you have to leave your country—there are people in your own neighborhood and workplace that need to hear the hope of Jesus.
The ultimate goal of the Great Commission is to make followers of Jesus. So as we go about sharing the good news of Jesus with people, we're to show people how Jesus has changed our lives, and invite them to discover Jesus for themselves.
It can be easy to think that making disciples is the responsibility of our church pastors and ministry leaders. While those things certainly are part of every ...