During this past winter training at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center, I would, every now and then, remind the team of the reason they were there. In essence, I would remind them of the Good News; that God, through Jesus, reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
I was reminded of our need for focus while reading 2 Timothy. I would encourage you to read through it. Paul writes to Timothy in an almost militaristic style. There are many charges throughout the book. But you can see that Paul is not being heartless (he addresses Timothy as "my dear son") but is lovingly stressing the importance of these commands. He is stressing Timothy's need to persevere, stay focused, stand on sound doctrine, and not be distracted or deceived.
(If you aren't a follower of Jesus, I encourage you to examine your life.)
I found myself going back to 2 Corinthians 5 after reading 2 Timothy. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 is an excellent summation of our purpose, our mission. Here's a part of it:
But notice that Paul doesn't stop there while writing to the believers in Corinth; he goes on to say that God "gave us the ministry of reconciliation." God has shown me this truth in recent months: the Good News doesn't end at us. Christianity is not about ourselves; it's about sharing the love and grace that God has given us. It's about God. This is hard to see in America, a place being choked by the thorns of materialism and consumerism, but it's clear to see in places like Asia, where the majority of Christians are. The persecution there forces them to be focused; they need to have the truth constantly on their minds.
This takes us back to 2 Timothy, with Paul telling Timothy to stay focused and not be distracted. His reason for these encouragements is the message of reconciliation that we've received. We're supposed to be sharing this amazing love that we've been given and showing others the new life that's been given to us; because, again, Christianity is about God, not us. It doesn't end with us. We have the joy of sharing to those in our lives this Good News.
But isn't it easy to get distracted? There is an enemy in this world who is perfectly content with us Christians wasting time on Facebook, at the mall, on the computer, in front of the TV, etc. Frankly, we aren't being very effective sharers of God's love when we do stuff that is only temporally significant. But it seems lately that I have been distracted by many little things that aren't terribly important in the long run. By God's grace, he has been refocusing me.
So how about you? Does your life need some more focus (like mine)? Remember the new life that has been given to you, and remember your God-given ministry (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).
I was reminded of our need for focus while reading 2 Timothy. I would encourage you to read through it. Paul writes to Timothy in an almost militaristic style. There are many charges throughout the book. But you can see that Paul is not being heartless (he addresses Timothy as "my dear son") but is lovingly stressing the importance of these commands. He is stressing Timothy's need to persevere, stay focused, stand on sound doctrine, and not be distracted or deceived.
(If you aren't a follower of Jesus, I encourage you to examine your life.)
I found myself going back to 2 Corinthians 5 after reading 2 Timothy. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 is an excellent summation of our purpose, our mission. Here's a part of it:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." -2 Corinthians 5:17-19God brought us back into a right relationship with him through Jesus' atonement of sins on the cross. We have new life in God. It's so encouraging for me to look back to where I was a couple years ago and see how much has changed through a relationship with God. It really is a Jesus Story; it's not a self-help story. God brings a genuine newness to our lives.
But notice that Paul doesn't stop there while writing to the believers in Corinth; he goes on to say that God "gave us the ministry of reconciliation." God has shown me this truth in recent months: the Good News doesn't end at us. Christianity is not about ourselves; it's about sharing the love and grace that God has given us. It's about God. This is hard to see in America, a place being choked by the thorns of materialism and consumerism, but it's clear to see in places like Asia, where the majority of Christians are. The persecution there forces them to be focused; they need to have the truth constantly on their minds.
This takes us back to 2 Timothy, with Paul telling Timothy to stay focused and not be distracted. His reason for these encouragements is the message of reconciliation that we've received. We're supposed to be sharing this amazing love that we've been given and showing others the new life that's been given to us; because, again, Christianity is about God, not us. It doesn't end with us. We have the joy of sharing to those in our lives this Good News.
But isn't it easy to get distracted? There is an enemy in this world who is perfectly content with us Christians wasting time on Facebook, at the mall, on the computer, in front of the TV, etc. Frankly, we aren't being very effective sharers of God's love when we do stuff that is only temporally significant. But it seems lately that I have been distracted by many little things that aren't terribly important in the long run. By God's grace, he has been refocusing me.
So how about you? Does your life need some more focus (like mine)? Remember the new life that has been given to you, and remember your God-given ministry (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).
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