Good Times Roll
The good times are still here. Even when it feels like they aren't. When Jesus is at the center of our lives the good can shine through the hard times. Let me explain. In Matthew 10 we get to see the mission that Jesus intended for his disciples AKA apostles to go on. He knew it would be tough going to the people of Israel and telling them,
6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
Matthew 10:6-8
He knew that they were going to face hardship and that the people of Israel would try to cause them harm. And that is why He prepared them for this tough mission. With a tight deadline. He said to them,
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Matthew 10:16
Jesus was well aware that this would be something very hard to accomplish, that they would have to evade being captured and killed and He made it abundantly clear that the Holy Spirit would give them the words to say. Guys, last I checked, just because I am a Christian it doesn’t mean my life is going to be easy. It doesn’t mean the I will be on the missions that I think are the good ones. No if we just use this one piece of the disciples already hard lives (it is believed that 11 of the 12 were martyrs) we can see that the call to follow Jesus is not always rainbows and butterflies.
Wow James, real downer today huh? Yup. Ok thats it see you this Sunday… No there is something I want you to receive today.
God has a plan for you. Jesus has the desire to prepare you. He wants to prosper you, not to harm you. He wants to guide your words with the Holy Spirit. We CANNOT do this life without His guidance. I am telling you, now that I have tasted and seen, I don’t want to either. And just like he told them EXACTLY what to do and how they should be thinking about this mission.
Guys, Jesus could have just told them, go and talk to the people of Israel. It will be tough but you got this. They would have 100% gone away to their slaughter. But because of His connection to them. Because he was able to pour into them, they were able to lean into that knowledge. Please read all of Matthew 10. Jesus went above and beyond. He told them exactly what would happen and how they were to avoid being caught.
I want to just copy and paste this entire chapter. Just read it. Please. Read it with a heart asking God to give you the boldness to do the tough things that He has put in front of you.
Guys the good times are up ahead. He told them to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. They got to go out and heal so many people. They were able to go on this short term mission and make some real change. But it required Him telling them exactly how to do it. It required a level of trust in Him that makes my faith look so small. I hope you pursue Him even just a little bit more today. I hope you lean into the hard things in life and look for the ways to thank Him for being with you. Look for the ways to praise Him for letting the good times keep rolling. We are blessed to follow Him.
As you see the people of our cities walking around, living a life without Jesus, know that you might be the smile, the connection that they never knew they would need. So pray for healing for them. Pray for them to know the Lord. Pray for them to be brought back to life with Jesus at the center of it all. So when the times feel tough in your life, know that God has a plan for us and He can use that tough time to be someone else’s good times. Show them how a Christian handles tough times, with Jesus at the center of it all.
Love you!
Serve Like Jesus!
James
What am I reading?
“Everybody Always” - Bob Goff
Key takeaways
Every single person matters no matter their circumstance or what they have done to you.
You have the chance to show them the love of Jesus, everyday.
Check out the book by clicking the link below