Pastor and author Tim Keller said, “In every disaster, whether it’s 9/11 or COVID-19, God is saying to people, ‘Eventually, I’m going to put an end to all of this. But for the time being, this world is broken, and every time you think you don’t need me and that you can get on top of it, something like this will come along to remind you that, no, you do need me”. We need Jesus.
Our efforts to build a society and a world without Him are failing miserably. We will fail because each of us is concerned with what’s best for us, not our neighbor. It’s a universal affliction. Even for those of us who try to live a God-centered life, most of our thoughts remain on ourselves. We need Jesus to change our hearts. The world needs Jesus to transform millions who are not ashamed to stand on His Word and share His gospel.
I’ve never written more obvious words than “we need Jesus”. Look around you. The world is going mad and we seem to be setting precedents that will only lead to a further downward spiral and demise. Everything feels like it’s going off the rails. In times like these, remember God is still in control of the big picture. He is always in control, and nothing we petty humans do can ever derail His ultimate plans for our world. That’s a big concept that requires a lot of faith to believe. Still, I know it’s true, even though it’s easy to lose our focus in times such as these.
Every day, we need Jesus. We need to re-devote our lives to Him each morning. Probably each hour. It’s so difficult to keep our focus on Him and not on ourselves and what is going on around us. That’s exactly what Satan wants to do; distract us so he can neutralize our effectiveness for Jesus. We need to recognize the strategy the devil is using against us. Satan hasn’t had an original strategy in thousands of years; it’s the same tired one he’s been using through all of history. Why we continue to fall for it is a mystery to me. But I do know the perfect counterstrategy: keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.
We need Jesus. Desperately. Our world is broken. Our lives are broken. But God is never broken. Jesus is always the way. He may have fallen a bit out of vogue, but the truth remains. Jesus is the light and hope of the world. There is no salvation except through Him. He loves you like crazy. He loves every soul on this planet with an incomprehensible love, and so should we. The love of Jesus manifested through His people is the balm for the wounds of this world. Don’t be discouraged by what you see and hear on the news. The power and mercy of God are big enough to overcome it all. Change your focus today. Carry out His mission in your life. Forget the noise and ignore the distractions. We need Jesus, and we need Him today.