Scribbling Theology:

Thought I’d write a little something something before the end of 2018.

This year has been, as all years tend to be, a battle. It’s been a battle of perspectives, knowledge, family, friends, enemies, spirituality, sin and self. This year, more then ever before in my Christian walk I’ve battled with the unknown and the darkness that looms in my own heart as well as the very real struggles of the world around me. More then any year previously I’ve come to understand more of how broken and sinful I really am and I’ve come to realize how much about the world I have yet to explore and how little of God I truly know. The spiritual road ahead has seemed so uncertain there are days I genuinely question if it’s even worth continuing to walk with Jesus. After all, I worship a person I cannot see, or hear, or feel. It’s very easy to lose sight of who and where Jesus is.

However, today I had a sort of an epiphany. You can be told something 100 times over and it won’t be until the 101st that the light bulb comes on. Jesus and His Kingdom is bigger than me. Theologically I’ve known that to be true for some time. It wasn’t until today though that I realised that I’ve been living like as though I’m the most important person in God’s Kingdom. I’ve been tremendously selfish, completely focused on myself believing God is for all people but acting like as though my relationship with God was all that mattered. All of a sudden, bam, the fog cleared, I felt a bit lighter in my steps and some of the things I’ve been struggling with have become less of an issue.

Let me be clear. God loves me more tremendously then I could perhaps ever understand. I know that if I were the only person who was to ever respond to His Gospel He’d still have sent His Son to atone for my sins. However, here’s the Good News. Jesus has chosen and called me to be a faithful blessing to others, not just myself. God’s mission is about redeeming the entire world through Jesus, not just me. His Kingdom is bigger, more loving, more powerful than whether or not I’ve had my coffee this morning. And so as it’s literally the last day of 2018 I wanted to leave you with this (for whoever is reading):

1. Start 2019 on the right foot. You aren’t the most important person in God’s Kingdom (Revelation 7:9).

2. But you are important. God loves you and wants to save you from your brokenness and sin (Psalm 86:5).

3. You are called to serve and bless others, not just to reap the benefits of your own redemption (Exodus 19:6, 1 Peter 2:9 and 2 Corinthians 9:8-11, Romans 12).

4. Let God work wonders within you. You don’t know what He has in store for you this 2019.

5. Pray (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), preach (2 Timothy 4:2), love (Philippians 1:9-10) and serve (Galatians 5:13) to the glory of God and the joy of all people (1 Corinthians 10:31).