What a year!
2020 has brought just about 3 years worth of trouble.A year that will go down in the history books as one of the craziest years and will have the jaws of our children’s dropping as we retell the tales.
When we made our transition into this new year, with hopes, dreams and words from the Lord, I doubt there are many of us who foresaw half of what 2020 has brought. Yet God in His sovereignty and omniscience has birthed many great things in the body of Christ and will continue to do so in the next season.
Lessons and distractions
I spent approximately 3 months at home, going out only when it was completely necessary, which was about 5 times. This is perfect for my introverted soul and I had sufficient human contact with my millennial siblings and sister in law. It’s incredible how much that time at home allowed me to grow in intimacy with the Lord.
It’s also incredible how it showed up my inconsistency, as work was no longer a sufficient excuse. It showed how porous a lot of my reasons were for not pursuing the Lord. But I decided to cut the excuses and started pursuing the Lord. One of the major lessons from this time was, obedience and that coming from a place of love for God.
We have the opportunity to fill the earth with the glory of God by walking in our specific assignments, and obedience though difficult is the foundation.
Stay Focused
A lot has been going on in this year, as if Covid-19 wasn’t enough, here comes a resurgence of civil unrest which has now affected the world. I believe in the midst of this chaos, God is challenging His church to stay focused.
That is not to say, that racial issues should be ignored by the Church, in fact I’m saying quite the opposite. Racial injustice is more systemic than the historians and advocates of our time share about. It goes farther into the fundamental problem of sin.
I believe in God’s cry for us to remain focused on Him and the specific assignments for our lives will be the answer to systemic injustice. I believe that when we operate daily in obedience we will see the unfolding of the big picture of righteousness and justice that our hearts cry for. Stay focused.
Stay Obedient
Count the cost of following Jesus daily, because He is worthy. When we look at the sacrifice of Jesus it should put into perspective the things we complain about in the Western world. We cower at someone commenting in disapproval of our stance for Jesus on social media.
We withdraw ourselves from conversations for fear of looking radical. The things God requires of us, more often than not require a denying of self. But obedience is beautiful! When we look at the outworking of the disciples, the early church fathers, the modern day missionaries, we see a picture of the glory of God.
Our submission to Christ yields beautiful and lasting fruit. If there was anything that God confronted me most with during 2020, it’s this, my obedience and submission to Him out of love is for His people and for His glory. Stay obedient.