The pressures in our day to turn inward, to look out for ourselves and our families, and to live by the principles of self-protection, are very great. Between pandemic and political chaos and media rage and volatile financial markets and geopolitical angst (to name a few stimuli), we’re tempted to look with dread at the world, and then hunker down, hold the fort, and take care of our own.
This is understandable. But it is not Christian. Note two things:
First, Jesus calls his followers to walk by faith. It’s true, if we’re honest we’ll acknowledge that fear tugs at us. Our busy minds can’t help but wonder “what if,” and then worst case scenarios and troubles of all kinds fire our imagination. We admit this—and we need to confess it (I surely do, and maybe many of us do).
Fear is at odds with the Christian life. If we know Jesus, we realize he’s with us (Matthew 28:20), he loves us to the end (John 13:1), he pursues us in our foolish wandering (Luke 15:3-7), he’s preparing an eternal home for us (John 14:1-3), and he’ll gather us to himself in glory forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17). These are bedrock facts that we need to preach at the mirror every day. Pray with me that God would infuse this life-sustaining truth into our souls!
And second, Jesus calls his followers to look outward at a world in need—specifically, at neighbors who are made in God’s image and are floundering like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:37-40). We’re commissioned to turn our attention to the hurting and lost, near and far (Acts 1:8). We’re charged to love neighbors and even our enemies (Luke 6:27, 35; 10:37). We’re ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) sent to deliver his message of true hope.
And all of this requires looking beyond ourselves: for our good, the world’s gain, and Christ’s honor, “Lift up your eyes.” GBC has a long history of local and global outreach, and I’m asking God to use our Fall Focus on Missions to reignite that vision in us now.
