For the next several weeks, our posts will reflect on the book Joining Jesus on His Mission by Greg Finke.  The premise of this book is to alter the way we see our lives as followers of Jesus; it invites us to think about what it means to be everyday missionaries. This book is being read and discussed by our church council; it is a very helpful and practical.  I invite you to read it along with us. We have extra copies available in the narthex or you can find it easily via Amazon.  The reality is that, in a remarkably short amount of time, the United States has become one of the largest mission fields on the planet.  No longer do we have to think of foreign lands when we consider those who are not Christian. We certainly do not need to travel to inner cities or go overseas.  Truth be told, the odds are very good that right now, wherever you live or work, there are an abundance of people who are not connected to Jesus at all. So, what does this mean? It means we heed the words of Jesus when He says, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”  Or to borrow the phraseology of the book, it is time for us to join Jesus on His mission to redeem and restore human lives to the kingdom of the Father.  Or more simply put, to seek and save those who are lost. 
 
Thus, we take our cue from Jesus.  Two thousand years ago, He exchanged His heavenly throne room for a dirty stable. The Word became flesh. He made His dwelling among us. Our home became His. He took up residence. This is what we mean when we talk about incarnational ministry; Jesus moved into our neighborhood. Like Jesus, we see the mission field in our neighborhoods—among the people we consistently see where we live, work, and play. Again, we need not travel far to find ourselves in a potential place to share Jesus. You and I are regularly within reach of the same people. For instance, some of us have access to recreation leagues, yoga classes or craft beer clubs. Some of us are band parents or soccer moms, or we routinely wait with other dads as our daughters finish up dance classes. Some of us volunteer with community groups or social service agencies. We have weekly coffee gatherings with the same neighbors or longtime friends. Some of us are at country clubs, community centers, and gyms.  You get the point. We are already in the mission field. We are always standing in a harvest ripe for the picking.
 
We know that Jesus is already out there in our “neighborhoods” doing the heavy lifting of ripening people for their next step towards His Father’s redemption. So every morning, as we head out for a new day of adventure with Jesus, we can ask ourselves these simples questions: What is Jesus up to? Who are these people around me? How can I serve them? And what are they almost ready for?
 
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
 
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

Anyone who has lived for much time at all knows that in life storms will surely come.  Jesus warned as much, “In this world, you will have trouble…” Sometimes, seemingly out of nowhere, we are faced with an unexpected job loss, a grim diagnosis, the painful passing of a loved one, or the sorrow of goodbyes. Like the disciples caught in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, we can feel overwhelmed by these trials, as if our boat were sinking.
 
Following Jesus does not insulate us from life’s storms, but we can take comfort from knowing that God promises to hold us fast through them. After all, immediately after He warns us of the troubles of this world, Jesus brings a message of comfort by making it clear that He alone enables us to overcome whatever rocky waves and battering winds come our way. He can calm our hearts, and He may even quiet the very storms themselves.
 
When storms come, we are often tempted to doubt God. The disciples questioned Jesus even though they had seen His miracles firsthand. They looked Jesus in the eye, and they shared meals with Him every day—but when the storm arose, they took to panic stations of unbelief as if they’d forgotten who He was or what He was capable of doing: A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling … And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:37-39)
 
Don’t we often find ourselves there too? As soon as the turbulence hits—as soon as life’s winds and waves rise—our doubts and weaknesses burst forth, and we forget who it is who dwells within us and what He is capable of doing. God does not prevent storms from coming. But He is a God who is both present through them and sovereign over them. God promises to be with us always. Through the storms of life, He will be our anchor. And the best way to test the strength of an anchor is to endure a storm.  Jesus not only stayed with the disciples during the storm, but He displayed His power by calming it. As God, He had created the very sea itself. Why would the sea ever be a problem for Him? For us, too, even circumstances that seem hopeless and insurmountable unfold exactly as He has planned. When difficulties, fear, and pain persist, we can trust Him to give us a peace that “surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) and bring us through any storm to a place of calm, whether it arrives in this life or only beyond the final tempest of death.
 
The question, then, is not “Will storms come in my life?” They surely will. Rather, we must ask, “When the storms come, will I believe that Jesus Christ is able to deal with them—and will I let Him do that?” He can lift the clouds of doubt fogging our minds. He can mend broken hearts. He can soothe our longings for love. He can revive weary spirits. He can calm anxious souls. When you see Jesus as the Creator of the universe, the one who calmed the sea, and the one in whom everything holds together, then you too can experience the calming of the storm. Similarly, Proverbs calls us to build our lives on wisdom and righteousness—that is, having a right relationship with God. When we do that, we will be securely anchored and able to endure the storms of life. With God as our foundation, we can stand firm, trusting that our destiny is safe in his hands. 

“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” (Proverbs 10:25)
                                                   
Devotion adapted from Alistair Begg Devotion, 1-22-2024.