Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
James 5:13 ESV
If you’re tired of playing church, do ministry. Honestly, ministry was never meant to be a spectator sport. Every believer is called to serve the Lord.
Serving the Lord means you obey the Lord. The Lord is now your Master. You were purchased for a price. The blood of Jesus is the eternal sacrifice that sets us free from slavery to sin and the death that it yields.
Before we can be effective in ministry, we need to get over ourselves. Die to yourself. Kill your ego. Sacrifice it to the Lord. He must increase and we must decrease. Humility is the name of the game. If you don’t have it, you’ll rub everyone the wrong way.
Unfortunately, narcissism has weaved its way into every facet of American life. Take selfies much? Post on social media? Have an opinion about everything that you just need to share? Is the only truth the filter of your own experience? Technology, while perhaps well intended, has simply magnified and amplified the worst in us.
Unplug and repent. God is found in the secret place. And He doesn’t need a WiFi connection to speak to you.
Life is not about us. It’s about the next generation. And the one after that. We are like a flower that grows quickly, has a moment of glory and then fades into nothingness.
Yes, you’re unique, just like everybody else. That doesn’t make you special. That doesn’t mean you deserve special treatment. If God has blessed you in any way, it’s so you can serve others, not so that you can become prideful, arrogant and conceited.
The worship of self and celebration of individualism has destroyed the moral fiber of our nation. Any voice, no matter how demonic, is given free reign in public discourse. The most damaged, dysfunctional and toxic people become celebrities. Our entertainment glorifies violence, criminal behavior and sexual immorality.
So I ask, is anyone among you suffering?
We live in a world full of suffering. The world is enslaved to the demonic. All of Creation groans for the appearing of the sons of God. Passive, consumer Christianity is ineffective and impotent against the kingdom of darkness.
How many people are coming to know Jesus intimately and personally as a result of your life? Are you making disciples? Are you a disciple? Or are you a rebel and disobedient to the command of God?
Change is in the air. New wine is being poured into new wineskins. If you’re satisfied with the old, you’ll never hunger and thirst for the new.
A little discomfort is necessary to wake us up from the grand illusion. Truth is like smelling salts. It brings you back to your senses. Wake up. Jesus is coming back soon. We best be about our Father’s business.
Does any of this resonate as truth to you? Then rejoice and praise the Lord. He has not left you alone. If you believe, He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is inside of you. Ever present. Ever available. Always listening. Always watching.
Our mind was created to be the intermediary between our spirit and our body. A body without a spirit is dead. Your soul is eternal. The only question is if it’s eternally lost or eternally found. Be found in Christ. Amen.