What does it look like to live with the end in mind? Perhaps a number of different things come to mind for us, but the list Jesus and the apostles created for us doesn’t always overlap with the things we might imagine first. As we continue in our series, Who Do You Want to Be, we are starting to get specific about some of the things we are called to do, some of the ways we are called to live as followers of Jesus, if He really is coming back one day. This first one is something God’s people have always been called to do wherever they happen to be: make our communities better places for everyone living in them. Let’s explore this together.
Making Things Better
Let’s start with what is going to sound like a strange question today. Have you ever been kidnapped and dropped off in a country that was totally different from your own? I can’t say that I have experienced anything quite that traumatic, but I can imagine it would be pretty terrifying and disorienting. Actually, check that. I probably can’t imagine how horrifying that would be. It would be even worse, though, if there weren’t any meaningful prospects of getting back home anytime soon. What can you do in that kind of a situation? There are basically two options before you. One is to do whatever you can to get out of the situation, whatever it takes. That’s certainly where our mind might go first. After all, who would want to remain in a horrible situation for even a second longer than is absolutely necessary? The other option is to stay put and make the best of your new situation whatever it happens to be. Now, to a certain extent, factors beyond your control will impact which option is meaningfully available to you. It may be that you want to remove yourself from the situation, but you simply cannot.
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The Nexus 