“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:5-9, 17-18)
If someone asks me what my favorite week of the year is, I have to say Global Awareness Week.
I absolutely love Global Awareness Week, because I realize what an opportunity we have each year to focus on how Great our LORD is and to catch a glimpse of how He is at work all over the world to expand His Kingdom and bring people from all nations to Himself. Apart from the Bible, the thing that inspires, encourages, challenges, and builds me up in my faith in Christ Jesus the most is meeting and reading/hearing stories of people from other countries, cultures, and languages who have been transformed by being born again into Christ. The same Jesus I pray to in English, they pray to in Arabic, Thai, Czech, Portuguese, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish… And the same joy and peace He gave to the disciples after his resurrection, He gives freely to all who know and follow Him!! When I meet brothers and sisters in Christ who have suffered persecution for their faith in Him, the unmistakable sense I get is that despite the hardship and pain and suffering, they all are convinced that Jesus is worth it all. Their relationship with Him is such that they have counted the cost and realize that whatever they lose, Jesus is more.
Do we believe that? Do we live like if we lost everything else, Jesus would be enough to sustain us and even give us joy in the midst of loss? Trust Him, He is!
Prayer Prompt: Father God, help us to know You better, so that we may trust You more and more. Lord Jesus, help us to experience Your peace and Your joy, which You promised us. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and guide our steps, so that no matter what we face, we will know the power of Your presence in our hearts and minds, and we may hold tightly to the Hope that we have in You.
Song of the Day: Facing a Task Unfinished
