Preach the Gospel to Yourself

Life has been so busy lately. I have had a hard past couple weeks. I was sick for a while and then classes began again and I've been busy with work and small group in between. I've been overwhelmed lately. I finally got to the point where I felt like I was doing a lot of nothing. I was running on empty and all my 'good' things added up to one big bad mess; I was just going through the motions. My relationship with the Lord the past couple weeks has really suffered.

CJ Mahaney visited our church last weekend and gave a sermon on what to do during these times. It was probably one of the most encouraging sermons I've heard in a while because it pierced my heart at the right time. Mahaney preached on Jude 1:20-25, but mainly v. 20-21:

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."

I was encouraged to learn (once again) that there is no hidden secret to living the Christian life. All we must do is preach the gospel to ourselves, pray in the Holy Spirit, and wait for the mercy of the Lord Jesus. We must overwhelm our busy days with the gospel. We must pray continually. We must be heavenly minded, waiting in expectation for God's mercy instead of His wrath. We must cling to Christ, our righteousness. And we must persevere.

Life can get overwhelming, but when our focus is upward rather than inward, we can experience His rest even in the midst of chaos. This week I am learning how to continually preach the gospel to myself. I encourage you to do the same.

May you be blessed knowing that the God of the universe came in flesh to conquer sin for your sake. How precious is the blood of Christ!