He's Been There
In the book of Hebrews, the writer paints a vivid portrait of Jesus' humanity:
“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence” (Hebrews 5:7-8 ESV).
“In the days of His flesh …”
Picture it: Jesus, fully God and fully human in the flesh, intimately connected with human emotion and experience.
Jesus wasn’t a distant deity untouched by the struggles of human existence while on earth. He lived it. He experienced the deepest joys and sorrows of life.
Maybe today, you find yourself in the depths of sadness or in the middle of a difficult trial. Remember, Jesus has been there, too. The writer of Hebrews wrote this to remind you that Christ wept then the same as you do today and to remind you that you are not alone in your pain, sorrow, and suffering.
Your Savior, who walked the same path you do, yet without sin and with great hope, stands ready to carry your burdens.
So today, what if you allow God to hear your raw emotions, doubts, and fears that you’ve been carrying? What if you bring it all to Him? What if, like Jesus, you trust God to save your soul and tell others how to find salvation?
The Mission of God
All of our lives are spent on something.
Most people spend their days focused on growing a family, building a career, or amassing possessions. While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.
For Paul, God’s grace and salvation were so great that nothing on this earth could compare to doing His work.
Paul said that nothing in his life mattered as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 NIV
The mission of ...