In times of complex circumstances, it seems good to me to remember something very simple. When we are grappling with how to minister to others, it is good to remember God’s love expressed through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, let us Focus on Jesus and Follow His Plan.
I’ll leave you with a few verses the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 2:1-9, MSG
1. You’ll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God’s master stroke, I didn’t try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy.
2. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did–Jesus crucified.
3. I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate–I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it–
4. and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God’s Spirit and God’s power did it,
5. which made it clear that your life of faith is a response to God’s power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.
6. We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so.
7. God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest–what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene.
8. The experts of our day haven’t a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn’t have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross.
9. That’s why we have this Scripture text: No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it– What God has arranged for those who love him.
We are so blessed. Let us continually worship God for who he is, praise God for what he has done, confidently expect his promises to be true, and walk with God because he is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
Blessings,
Chip Hinds
