Keep Going; Don't Give Up; Overcome Obstacles And Be Christ's Ambassadors

If I began with a kid age 6, 7 at recess talking to stuffed animal imaginary friends in his mind, you’d guess it was me, right? Even if you don’t recall me mentioning my friend Angela & how I was glad to learn she knew Jesus. Whatever you recall of this, remember to keep going! Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t give up. Make God your strength and guide in a crazy world. People knows it’s rough. But God can be with them. For when you repent and call on Jesus to save you from your sins, live in you and make you new inside, you become a child of God, a family called to love one another. We have the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8). A U.S. soldier felt that sense of family in WW2. He walked into a Baptist church in France; he knew nobody and no French. But they were having the Lord’s Supper - a memorial. He felt united with them. Why? He didn’t focus on differences. He focused on God. They had a common bond - Salvation by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Born of His Spirit, cleansed by His blood, they were part of the family of God. Not all have Earthly ones. Some have it so rough. We must be examples of Jesus to show God loves them so much more than they can imagine. They knew I was legally blind with some cerebral palsy at birth. I got my first hearing aid at 6. I learned a bit of Dandy-Walker caused my low vision in my 30s. There may be little developmental stuff. None of it stopped me. They said I could do anything but drive. Not stuff like surgery, but in general. The world system meant I’d never be President. Basic physics kept me from being a starship captain. But as I grew, I knew God had a special purpose. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, too. Psalm 139 has so many great thoughts like that. Verse 17 says His thoughts are so wonderful toward you. God says in Jeremiah that He loves you with an everlasting love(31:3) and always has good thoughts for you, not evil(29:11) Your Creator wants to show you great and mighty things.(33:3) His plan is special for you, too. You’ll be better at His plan for you than anyone if you keep following Him and let Him keep molding you as you pray and trust Him – including letting Him guide your prayers as you pray for others. This world is broken – people see it. They wonder why there is evil. They need to know God didn’t make it that way, but our choices mess things up. We’d need cartoon physics for God to stop it all. We have something better, the promise of Heaven; far better than the world’s shallow, temporary stuff. People who don’t get the idea of sin still see the world is broken and want answers. We must help them see God is real and why they should repent and accept Jesus as Saviour. Many want instant happiness. God gives something better and deeper. Something more abundant here on Earth, as well as life forever with Jesus as our Saviour. That life starts at the moment you trust Him by faith and call on Him to save you from your sins and make you new inside. And it’s free. We don’t earn or deserve it. And we can’t work for it. The world needs that. But God has something else special, too. He wants to help you – and the entire family of God – to grow closer to Him and be more like Him. That can be hard when the world pushes back. Yet, it is so worth it in the end. As JFK said, we chose to send a man to the moon not because it was easy, but because it was hard. There’s a joy like no other when you see God work through you because you prayed and worked at it, you kept going. That means not giving up as spiritual warfare grows, but praying & sticking to God more. We can never say we’ve arrived till we get to Heaven, so keep growing closer to Jesus as you keep learning. Be humble; if you mess up, say you’re sorry, make good what you need to, and keep going. And oh, the things you’ll do when you never give up! When you keep going God’s way, not the world’s ways. When we choose to work at it, loving families work things out, and don’t break up. Friends stay close and don’t backbite or fight. We do the Matthew 18 principle, we “let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Rather, we come together as a family and take things to Him. He gives wisdom to do what’s right and strength to make it to the end when we ask. When the Spirit controls, the world sees much better how brokenness is solved by a relationship with Jesus. This doesn’t mean things always work out. Even strong believers have different roles. Paul and Barnabas’ split in Acts 15 is never called sin. Maybe their relationship was strained; I don’t know. Maybe Paul said things he regretted. Romans 7 shows he struggled. Barnabas worked better helping John Mark, and in the end, Paul calls John Mark useful for ministry. Paul knew John Mark had grown. So, they had to stay in or get back in touch. If Paul or Barnabas had to apologize for something, it was between them and God, and when they confessed, He forgave and cleansed. Of course, none of us does it all perfectly. When we fail, it’s often because we fail to pray. It we stop and ask God how to handle something, it’s so much better. As the hymn goes, ‘Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh what needles pain we bear. Just because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Jesus is a friend who wants to guide us through it all. He not only wants to help us in our own lives. He wants us to rely on Him so more people can come into the family of God. And, so those who are in need can get the help they need. This means seeing others as people. Our society labels everything. Look at the labels God gives, though. “Everlasting love.’ “Fearfully and wonderfully made.” For the believer, “child of God.” Society boasts, “I’m this,” and so on, as if to say “You’re NOT what I am!” Cults, gangs, and other evils often use an “us vs. them” idea to lure people in who feel left out - a big reason why we must help people so they don’t fall victim. See them as people like Jesus did, no matter how they look or act. God uses everyone – the man who emaled that as I worked on this is one I told you of, Paul, with severe Asperger’s and some paralysis from birth. He can’t verbalize his needs well. I’m likely the one example of Jesus he’s ever met. Yet he has trusted Christ to save him, and in his condition, God used him to send that thought at just the time it was needed for this message. God’s labels include and invite everyone. All are fearfully and wonderfully made. All are special. All can become children of God by repenting of their sin and trusting Jesus Christ, God in flesh, to save them from their sins and make them new inside. Even “sinner” – we’re all sinners. Our sin separates us from God. But God, in His love, came to Earth in the person of Jesus Christ. He died to take the penalty we deserve for our sin and rose from the dead! We have the cure the world seeks; that they can call on Jesus by faith to save and cleanse them! But there are other needs. Needs that prayer helps, but where God calls us to answer by being the help, the loving friend, they need. By going into the nooks and crannies, by finding those who need loved, who need acceptance, who need us to show them there is something far better than what they get on their phones. Genuine, compassionate people who show what it is to care. Yes, they can go to www.Godlife.com for a caring Jesus follower to guide them; I volunteer there and many come for help. But we should dig deep ourselves if needed to help them work things out. We should talk with them and be there if we can to listen and hug when life gets them down. That sounds like a career to some. You may feel led to serve God at camp or somewhere else one summer – you can always leave a job for camp & get another. Don’t choose the secular over everlasting friendships & spiritual growth, whether you serve in your local church or on the mission field. Maybe you want to be a counselor, doctor, Christian psychologist who does it from a Biblical perspective. Maybe even a pastor or missionary. Wherever God leads you, don’t give up. Keep going, and follow His call. Even if you stumble, He will get you to where He wants you to reach others. As Spurgeon said, “If God calls you to be a preacher, don’t stoop to being a king. Even if you only serve as a lay person, a Godly friend, don’t give up. Keep going. Prayer warriors serve a mighty purpose, too. God doesn’t call us all to the same field. But He does call everyone to do something, to reach someone, for the cause of Christ.That’s why time in the Light of Christ, away from the world’s woes, helps you grow in a walk with God so much. The changing world keeps me from doing some things, too. The culture as we near the End is all about arguing and drama. As Jesus predicted, the love of many waxes cold. There is little polite talk or friendly disagreement.3 God calls us to be above that. We work the Matthew 18 principle tobe of one mind in the Lord. Yes, vote your conscience, but don’t get caught up in world fights. Our citizenship is in Heaven, and we are ambassadors. We are here to show Jesus and bring people to Him. I focused on the gifts God gave me. I thought He’d call me elsewhere. He called me to stay, and teach, mentor, and be a Godly example to you. Maybe someone else could have done better at times. But I never gave up, I kept going. God used me, as He continues to, now with the comedy I do for Mackenzie and her siblings, plus prayers of course. He used me as He will use you if you keep going and commit to Him! Challenges keep me from some things, but I can be a friend, a prayer partner, whatever is needed. You have challenges, too. Some, you may not have told anyone but God. Things you wonder if they’ll keep you down. But don’t give up. Keep going. God doesn’t need you to be perfect, He wants you to see that kid crying in the cafeteria and talk with them. To get help for that person who struggles, even learn how to help them. To give a ride to that person who can’t drive. Yes, our Lord Jesus Christ calls you to help others deal with the broken world. No matter what you think holds you back, God can overcome it if it’s His will, because He has overcome the world. We all have challenges to overcome. For some it’s family. For some poverty. For some anxiety. For some fear of being different. But you are a child of God, a member of His family. What He gives you, He gives so you’ll let Him make you better, so you can do great things for His glory. He does it so you can teach others in a humble, Christlike way they do belong – like I did Paul. He’ll let you face worry so you can be a warrior who turns anxious thoughts to prayers and intercedes big for others, going boldly before the throne of grace. He does it so you’ll trust Him totally, knowing it's hard on your own. God does it so you can tell others who don’t know Him. He does it so when that dear soul who He needs to reach is crying out for help, you can respond. You can share what Jesus has done for you, and through the love you show, they may come to know Jesus as Saviour and have their destiny changed from Hell to Heaven because you were there for them! God lets you go through things because He knows who will need you to have an impact, to be the example of Jesus Christ they need; maybe the only one they have ever seen. That is how powerfully He wants to use you! Yet, as you do anything, don't forget each person is an individual. Just like Jesus saw them in the Bible. They have individual needs. But also, eac person needs to see the love of Christ, for it is Jesus that truly wins them, not us alone. It can be hard to know how to reach them. We don't have God's perfect knowledge. Yet they can be. The Holy Spirit will guide you in how with each one - from missions work down to seeing a really awkward kid or one who acts so mean, and anywhere in between. Do they struggle in a rough home? Do they have hidden things they need to know God will cleanse them from? Do they have feelings and don't know where to turn for help? Whatever it is, you are there as part of the family of God to let the Spirit work in you so you can let Him guide you to help. They might come to church, home Bible studies might be best for some young adults to start, but remember, it’s Jesus Christ they need. A relationship with Him can come anywhere, fellowship just helps so much. With some, you might only plant seeds. But, follow God's faithful leading to know when to continue and when to back off. The Spirit can show you when to lead from the brokenness of the world to how sin causes it, and how they can be saved from their sin by calling on Jesus to save them. Or, offer someone a tract and say “This tells how God loves you” – Fellowship Tract League has free ones, there might be others, and they’re often cheap if you pay.(Just put them in doors, never mailboxes.) Age has worsened my vision; even going door to door with tracts is harder; but you can. They say chips may help someday, but a world system which ignores God won’t let an AI or chip help in sharing the Jesus of the Bible. It might shut down if a person tried; those in power don’t want Jesus. That is why I say be careful. Things can be used for great good or great evil. The devil already tries to lead people into darkness. He could use false promises to get people to worship him with a chip in the Mark. Besides, I still do quite a bit. I can pray, listen, give advice, and might write at times, I don’t know. I will keep going. And, many other followers of Jesus can help you, too. You have a large family of God to get you through things. Sure, YouTube will help. The Lomelino family for instance has videos which are a great example of how to run a Godly family. One which works things out and talks kindly and everything. You can give that example to someone else to use or use it yourself if needed; practice on your own. Of course, they themselves are headed by a Born again believer in Christ. The videos are part of their calling. God will use many in your lives to show you how you can make the wisest decisions. Be sure they line up with Biblical values, like having a good budget & avoiding debt, giving to God, and so on. That’s why following God is so important. For simple life things like where to live, especially to larger things, like how to reach the unreachable and love the unlovable so they can invite Jesus Christ to live in them as their personal Saviour and make them new, so they can be miraculously changed. We can’t do that in our own strength. The devil will fight dirty every step of the way. He walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He’ll make us think worldly things are more important when God should be on the throne of our heart. The devil will use gambling, drinking, and so on to steal from what we should give to God or even from our own basic needs. But he’ll also use false doctrine or make us too busy to think about God. But don’t give up. If something tries to knock you down, keep going. Rely on God, use spiritual armor - faith, prayer, His Word, and so on. If doing whole books of the Bible is hard, do word studies or characters, or on God’s attributes, let Him guide you. That might be what He’ll use to help you be all He wants you to be. And His thoughts toward you are always good. And when you follow God with all your heart, when you’re always ready to pray, when you let God take the lead and guide your words, when you guard your tongue and are quick to her, slow to speak, and slow to wrath, when you flee youthful lusts and guard your thoughts from your flesh nature and let Jesus shine through you, when you answer His call to do something in His strength and seek His perfect wisdom, letting Him lead, He will give you greater and greater tasks. It won’t always be easy. It might be hard work! But, oh, the things you’ll do that count for eternity! So, go and do greater things for Him. Join that church, go to that camp or retreat, attend that conference, start that club or Bible study. Talk to that kid at school, interact with those people you fear might not like you. Serve God! Share the Gospel! Be ready to plant seeds, be able to share the Gospel, and see where God takes you. Let God use things like camp, youth group, and so on to mold you and show you how He wants you to be a faithful follower of His. Serve the Lord, don’t worry about the instant stuff the world craves. Seek ways to know God’s calling on your life, and follow Him. Trust Him through the obstacles. Raed God’s Word and pray, pray, pray, so you know the path He wants you to take each step of the way. Because if you know Christ as your Saviour, you are a child of the King. You are part of a great family of God. A family made up of all races, backgrounds, people groups, languages. We are a body of believers meant to be known by our love. Our culture wants to tear us apart. The devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy. But believers in Christ as Saviour have life and life more abundantly with Jesus. A sinful world needs that. Not all will accept, but we must give them a chance. So, show them, through words and actions. Help them. Love them. Stand fast for God’s truth – salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Jesus is God in flesh, the perfect, sinless sacrifice. Tell them He willingly took the punishment we deserve for our sin when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. Our works can’t save us. One must only repent, turn from their sin and trust Jesus to save them and make them new inside. And once you have, let Him transform you throughout life as He works in you each day, to make you more Christlike while helping others see how God can help them overcome, too. Obey God’s call, and let the Holy Spirit work in them. It’s up to you, the next generation, to get out there and let Jesus overcome through you. It’s up to you to reach the unreached, especially of your generation. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to Jesus, and He’ll draw near to you. Let Him move through prayer, His Word, hymns, worship songs, whatever He knows will help you best. And remember, the family of God is here for you, to lift you up through the tough times. Some have more of a gift for it than others. Some might just pray, some will talk with and encourage you, some will be great friends, and so on. Trust God to help you find fellowship. Some will always be there to help you to never give up, to keep going. Love one another as God’s family, and draw from those who follow Him faithfully each day and who have been through the spiritual battles, so God can use them to help you to keep going, From your faithful Christian brother by grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.