December 31, 2023 - INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE HEART

By Abby Cheng

IFH: December 31, 2023

In the face of misery and darkness, it is easy to lose hope. We pray to God, “let Your kingdom come,” but in our minds doubt the likelihood of that happening based on the suffering that we see, hear about, or even personally experience. We may be so overwhelmed by the unending need in the world that we are paralyzed from trying to do anything about it, relegated to the belief that nothing will or can change until Jesus comes again and makes everything new. That is not how Christ calls us to live our life, though. He reassures us in His word that “the one who is in [us] is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Jesus, who is God, made the impossible possible when He took on flesh, came down to earth, lived among sinful humans, and died on the cross in order to save us from our sins. What is more, that same Man said “whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). We then as Christians are the ones fully equipped to change the world, to build God's kingdom on earth as He reigns in and over our lives.

This is not something we can do by our own strength and wisdom, though. John 14:12 is immediately followed by Jesus telling his disciples, “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). That right there is the single greatest thing we can do to build God's kingdom on earth: prayer. As you pray, stop and consider whether God is sending you to be the answer to what you're praying for.

Ken Shigematsu, in his book “God in My Everything”, writes this: “...There will be times when our efforts feel like a drop in an ocean of human need. Remember, Scripture tells us that our work will not be in vain (1 Cor 15:58). God does not say, “I will make all new things,” but “I will make all things new” (Rev 21:5). If this is true, then every prayer, every act of love and kindness, every act of care for the earth, every act that spreads the good news of the gospel, will find its way into the new creation that God is making and will one day bring to glorious completion.”