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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