Standing Together
Our world has an eclectic array of hair and skin, eyes and smiles. People have freckles and beards, birthmarks and dimples. They have long hair, short hair, straight hair, curly hair, and no hair.
All of them have individual backgrounds and life experiences.
All of them have unique voices, personalities, and fingerprints.
All of them have made in the image of God.
And one day, every Christian throughout history will stand together before God.
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'"
Revelation 7:9-10 NIV
This passage in Revelation is talking about a group of people from all backgrounds, cultures, and walks of life gathering together to worship God. The ability to worship Him in this unified way is only possible because while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus bridged the gap between us and God by becoming the perfect substitutionary sacrifice for our brokenness.
Jesus’ power is the only power that can unify humanity. And because Jesus’ great power is at work within the global Church, we can intentionally await His return by sharing His love, joy, hope, and peace with everyone around us. Because our hope, strength, and future is in Jesus, we can cry out with Christians everywhere— “salvation belongs to our God … and to the Lamb!”
So today, let’s worship God with every breath we take by staying focused on Jesus, and living in unity with other Christians as we await Jesus’ return.
Responding to God at All Times
Throughout our lives, we will all experience both suffering and joy. We'll have times of great grief and times of overflowing happiness. Sometimes, they’ll be separate seasons—but other times, these experiences come together.
In either case and in any situation, James expected Christians to come to God. If someone was suffering, prayer was the call to action. If someone was cheerful, people were to pause and 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're feeling cheerful, it’s easy to just enjoy our season and not stop long enough 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 ...