“Strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” – Acts 14:22

We don’t get into God’s Kingdom because of tribulations. We don’t have to earn our way into the Kingdom through hardship. Thankfully, Jesus earned our way for us on the cross. However, as Paul taught the early Christians, we should expect plenty of tribulations on our journey through life as citizens of Heaven.

Tribulations are a normal and expected part of Christian life. Anyone telling you otherwise is lying! The joys of life in Christ don’t include all our problems magically disappearing. Rather, the joys include the glorious truth that God is always present with us in our tribulations. The joys include the assurance that our Savior Jesus, Who personally experienced terrible suffering and unimaginable temptation, lives in us and walks with us through our own seasons of hardship.

Think about that – your suffering Savior is always with you in tribulation. Because you are in Him and He is in you, Jesus suffers with you. He understands your thoughts and feelings better than you do yourself. He understands completely and He’s with you. His Spirit strengthens and renews you for the tribulation. He gives grace sufficient for each day. So continue in the faith throughout hard times. Continue in the knowledge that God is with, Christ is in you, and the Holy Spirit sustains and comforts you.

Christian, don’t be surprised when you find yourself in tribulation. Be prepared and be faithful. The road is hard but the destination is glorious!

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” – Matthew 9:37-38

Such a simple prayer, but do we pray it? Do we dare? If we did, it would turn the world upside down! Do we truly want that??? God is the Lord of the harvest and He’s prepared a great harvest of people from all nations, languages, and ethnicities who are ready to respond to the good news of Jesus Christ. But who will go out and share that good news?

Billions of souls are alive today who need to hear this good news, but where are the laborers who will proclaim it? Sitting in churches all around the world! We must pray as Jesus told us to pray that they would go out. We must pray that God would raise up workers to go out from every Christ-loving, Bible-believing church – some to their schools and offices and some to the far ends of the earth – who will go into the vast harvest fields God has already prepared and proclaim that Jesus is Lord and Savior.

We don’t have to make the harvest. God’s already done the hard spiritual work! We need laborers to go out in faith. Right now, there are too many who need to know Jesus and too few going out. Only God can change that. We must pray and plead for Him to raise up a mighty generation ready, eager, and on fire to go out proclaiming Jesus in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

“And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.” – Genesis 45:7

Throughout history, God has acted repeatedly to preserve the faithful remnant of His people. No matter the challenge, no matter the complexity of the situation, God has preserved the faithful remnant because His promise to bring blessing to all nations through Jesus Christ will not fail.

In Genesis, God preserved the family of Jacob (Israel) from a 7-year famine by sending one member (Joseph) ahead of the family to Egypt. There he received great power and influence and saved the entire nation from famine so he could also save his family.

That, in itself, is a great story of God’s faithfulness! However, there’s so much more to the story because of how God sent Joseph ahead of his family. God worked blessing and preservation through the evil actions of Joseph’s brothers who sold him into slavery. God took what Joseph’s own family meant for evil and used it for ultimate good!

For many years, even as God was truly with him, Joseph had to be hurt, angry, scared, depressed, and so much more. His family sold him into slavery. Every time he started to get ahead in Egypt, something bad happened to make things worse. Slavery. False accusations. Unjust imprisonment. Being forgotten by those he helped. Joseph’s story was one of misery and injustice upon misery and injustice until he finally broke through, in God’s timing, to ultimate triumph.

Nonetheless, God was with Joseph in every moment of his hard and painful struggle. God was at work in every moment, not only sustaining Joseph but preparing him to be the means by which God would preserve the remnant and sustain His promises. Let this be a valuable reminder every time you go through long and painful seasons in life. If you’re in Christ, then God can still use that for good. He’s still present with you in that. He will sustain and preserve you eternally. He remains faithful and ultimate triumph is certain, not on earth, but in heaven.

“The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;”
– Psalm 19:7-8

The psalmist here highlights four blessings and benefits that come from regular reading, study, and meditation on God’s Word, the Bible.

God’s Word revives our weary souls. It encourages us when we’re discouraged. When we come to the Word exhausted and ground down by the trials, tribulations, conflicts, and petty indignities of life, God’s Word strengthens and renews our souls.

God’s Word makes us wise. God is all-wise and He shares that wisdom with us through His Word. His Word is a powerful antidote to the foolishness of our human nature and fallen human culture. God’s Word convicts us, corrects us, rebukes us, and teaches us, guiding us toward godliness, the greatest wisdom we can possess.

God’s Word lifts our hearts with rejoicing. When we contemplate the goodness, mercy, grace, and kindness of God poured out so abundantly through Jesus Christ we’re filled with joy. We know that life has purpose and meaning. We know that we’re loved and significant in God’s eyes. We know that God is always with us and will never abandon us.

God’s Word cleanses our souls. As we recognize our own sins and shortcoming in the mirror of Scripture, we confess those sins and receive God’s forgiveness. Study of Scripture puts us in a posture to be transformed by God’s Holy Spirit. There’s no greater single divine influence on our lives than the regular intake of God’s Word. Are you in the Word every day?

“So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’” – Acts 10:34-35

It’s always been God’s will and plan to draw for Himself a people from every tribe, language, people group and nation (see for example Genesis 12:1-3). However, throughout history, God’s people have often been a bit slow to understand this. Even Peter, the leader of the early church, had been slow to realize that God intended His saving grace to be poured out on people from all over the world who would come to believe in Jesus.

Thankfully, God intervened to broaden Peter’s understanding of God’s mission. He sent Peter to preach to non-Jewish people and Peter saw them believe and receive the Holy Spirit. In so doing, God re-emphasized the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus gave His disciples.

Christians are to go throughout the world, to every pocket and place, nook and cranny, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and making disciples. We’re to share the words of life with people everywhere who are trapped in sin and death. As the Gospel penetrates their hearts and they yield their lives to Christ, we’re to welcome them into the faith with open arms, teaching them to follow the commands of Jesus.

The mission of God is relevant for every follower of Jesus. We each have roles to play in praying, giving, sending, going, and welcoming those heading out for missions and those from other nations who come to our community. Do you know how God’s called you to support His mission to the nations? Are you doing what He’s called you to do?