Take Courage

I believe the gospel today is a fitting gospel the day after we celebrated the Ascension. Yesterday, we remember Jesus being lifted up into heaven. Today, I feel he is reminding us that we are not alone. Kahit nasa langit na sya, he is asking us to be strong and focus on Him.

I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world

Yes, it will not be easy. Serving Him will not be a walk in the park. There will be challenges, especially from the enemy who rules the world, but Jesus is reminding us to take courage.

Jesus experienced a lot of challenges and troubles while doing God’s work on earth, but he did not lose his focus. Saints also experienced persecution and hardships for Jesus. However, they remained focused on Jesus, they remained focused on serving God.

Challenges don’t always come in the form of persecution and hardships. It’s easy to spot challenges like that, and it’s easy to be aware of those things. When people say nasty things about your faith or make fun of you standing firm on the values, you can easily recognize it as persecution and know how to handle it. I believe the enemy is using things seemingly harmless and normal to challenge us, to trouble us, to distract us from serving God.

Work by itself is not bad. We need it to sustain our lives. However, too much work (or the lack of it) can cause us to be distracted from our service. People handle stress differently. If work is causing you to feel too tired to serve God, or if the lack of it makes you feel unworthy serving God, then definitely it becomes a distraction from serving God. Too much work may cause stress that could easily make you susceptible to worldly rewards. Sige, gimik muna ako ngayon kasi ang dami ko naming trabaho, I’ve been working hard, I deserve a little reward. May not necessarily be bad, but if not handled properly, a lot of things can happen – too much drinking causes accidents, makes people act differently, etc… things that Christ’s followers should not be doing.

What is troubling me right now? What is giving me comfort in my life? Do I remember and live what Christ tells me today, or are his words drowned by the concerns of the world? How can I have peace as I fight for Christ?

May we recognize the things that the enemy is doing to distract and trouble us, and lift up to God everything that hinders us from fully following and serving Him.

Prayer

Dear God,

As we start another work week, we ask that you give us a fresh portion of your strength to be able to do your work. Thank you for the weekend, and thank you for giving us time to rest and spend time with family and friends. May we always remember to keep our focus on you as we live our lives and as we do your work here on earth. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-