Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Tues Devo: Don't lose heart

Hello,

We hear the phrase often – “Don’t lose heart!” It brings to mind times when we are pushing towards a goal, but various obstacles keep getting in the way. Sometimes those obstacles are related directly to what we are doing, but often they are things that are unrelated – but zap our time & energy and distract our focus. For me, I find the unrelated obstacles the hardest to deal with.  I expect some difficulty within the mission itself, but it is easy for me to get discouraged when things I perceive as outside of the mission slow me down or take my attention away. I find it easy when that happens to sit back and blame the lack of forward motion for the mission on those things. Now, that blame may be true – but as soon as we start to focus on blame, we quickly fall into pity/woe is me mode and that is when the wheels can really come off from the mission. We begin to look at our circumstances and see everything we cannot control as negative, and our effort begins to also slip.

So what do we do? We take heart! To me take heart is a challenge to stop and examine the facts that brought you to that mission in the first place. We revisit what we are doing and why. Check out 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (NASB)

Here Paul talks about how they do not lose heart. They go back and in verse 5 revisit their mission – preaching Jesus Christ as Lord. It is a worthy mission, one that hasn’t changed even though the obstacles are big. So, they take heart and keep pushing forward.

Have a blessed day – and whatever obstacles are facing your mission, take some time to reflect – and take heart in what Christ has done for us.

(Bonus verse – John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (NASB))



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