Dear Church,
No one needs convincing that mankind is unwell; things are falling apart. We are placed on this planet to be conduits of God’s love, and to be honest, if you do this work in all sincerity this is the most demanding, heartbreaking work in the world. Like Jesus, our lives are often defined as “sorrowful and acquainted with grief.” Why is this? As you heard on Sunday, compassion means “your hurt in my heart,” and carrying someone else’s hurt in our hearts is hard work.
The Apostle Paul speaks about this in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death.”
Yet Paul goes on to encourage us in 2 Corinthians 4:16: “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
Without a glorious hope burning in our hearts, love rooted in compassion will be crushed by the pain of this world. As C.S. Lewis wrote: “You will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.”
If we truly want to make a difference in the world, the best thing we can do is to hold fast to the promised renewal God has given us and make it the anchor of our souls. Hebrews 6:18-19 (NLT) reminds us: “Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”
Paul expressed this hope beautifully in Romans 8:18: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
So, let us start thinking more about the world to come. Instead of being known as “worldly” Christians, let us strive to be known as “otherworldly” Christians!
Be Encouraged,
Mathews
