Stuart’s Timeless Wisdom:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
In John 17, Jesus tells His disciples that He has completed His task and it’s time for Him to go to His Father. But He says their task on earth is just beginning. And He warns them that it won’t be easy.
The world resisted Jesus because of His exclusivism, His attack on materialism, and His challenge to formalism. And our modern society resists Christianity for the very same reasons. As followers of Christ, we will face opposition.
But Jesus says to us today: “Tell them anyway!”
In John 9, Jesus proclaims that He is the light of the world and in Matthew 5, He reminds us that we are now the light of the world. In other words, we are a continuation of all that He is. We are a perpetuation of all that He was doing. We shine the light that points to the Father.
His love and care for us becomes the source of our joy.
Now you may be thinking… what joy?
The joy of recognizing that there is something fundamentally wrong with our big, cold, fallen world, but God is calling us to roll back the tide and bring redemptive ministry wherever we go. And as we do, we experience the joy that only He can give.
Joy that lasts forever.
Lord, many of us are often depressed or scared of this world and the call You have given us. We are intimidated by the baton Jesus handed us and by the warning He gave us about this world. Give us joy in this place, God. Remind us that You have overcome the world and we are part of Your plan. Amen.