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2026-01-25 THE GOSPEL TRANSFORMS OUR PRIORITIES

Join God's Mission: Living with Gospel Purpose in Your Everyday Life

Ever feel like your life is just... happening? Like you're going through the motions—work, errands, maybe church on Sunday—but missing something bigger? What if God's invitation isn't just about getting to heaven someday, but about joining an adventure that starts right now, right where you are?

That's the heart-stirring message from Matthew 9:35-38, where we see Jesus doing something remarkable: He went. He traveled through cities and villages, teaching, preaching, and healing. Simple words, profound meaning. Jesus didn't wait for people to come to Him—He pursued them with compassion and purpose.

Jesus Went—And So Should We

The incarnation itself is God's ultimate "going." He didn't owe us salvation. After humanity's rebellion in Genesis 3, God could have justly walked away. Instead, He came down. Jesus left heaven's glory to walk dusty roads, touch lepers, dine with outcasts, and ultimately die for our sins.

Here's the beautiful truth: Jesus didn't just save us to take us to heaven eventually. He left us here on purpose—to shift our priorities from our mission to His mission. We're not called to spiritual vacation 51 weeks a year with one "missions trip" to feel close to God. We're called to live on mission every single day, exactly where we are.

Think about it: Jesus covered roughly the distance from Meridian to Gulfport in His entire earthly ministry. He didn't need to travel the world to change it. He simply lived with gospel purpose in His everyday context—and that changed everything.

Compassion That Moves Us to Action

Matthew 9:36 reveals Jesus' motivation: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd." The Greek word for compassion literally means a gut-wrenching burden—like someone reached into Jesus' chest and pulled.

Jesus couldn't change the channel on human suffering. He saw needs—spiritual, physical, emotional—and He acted. He taught truth and healed bodies. He preached the gospel and fed the hungry. He never fell into the ditch of meeting only spiritual needs or only physical needs. He walked the gospel highway, addressing the whole person.

What breaks your heart? Who in your neighborhood, workplace, or school needs to experience God's love through you? Gospel mission isn't just for "professional" missionaries. It's for every follower of Jesus who asks, "God, where are You at work around me? I want to join You there."

The Harvest Is Ready—Will You Go?

Jesus told His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few" (Matthew 9:37). This isn't God desperately needing our help because He's powerless. Spoiler alert: Jesus wins. Revelation promises that people from every tribe and tongue will worship Him.

So why does He invite us? Because joining God's mission is the most fulfilling way to spend our one short life. Why invest 80 years in something that might succeed when you can partner in what God is already doing—something guaranteed to matter 10 billion years from now?

Your Next Step

This week, take one practical step:

  • Pray for gospel burden. Ask God to break your heart for your city, your campus, your workplace.
  • Look for divine appointments. That international student, lonely neighbor, or struggling coworker? God may have placed them in your path.
  • Share your story. You don't need a theology degree—just tell what Jesus has done for you.

Don't waste your life. Join the mission. You won't regret it—not one second—for all eternity.

Prayer: Father, thank You for inviting us into Your mission. Give us eyes to see needs around us and courage to act. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours. Help us live like Jesus—going, serving, and proclaiming Your love. We surrender our small lives to Your great purpose. In Jesus' name, amen.

Posted by LUKE JOHNSON with

2026-01-18 AWAKEN MY PRAISE

Awaken Your Praise: Discovering Wholehearted Worship in Psalm 150

Ever notice how we can scream ourselves hoarse at a football game but whisper our way through worship? We'll paint our faces for our favorite team, belt out every lyric at a concert, and gush over a great meal—yet when it comes to praising God, we suddenly become reserved, polite, even silent.

What if the problem isn't our capacity for passion, but where we're directing it?

The Call to Unrestrained Worship

Psalm 150 doesn't tiptoe around the topic of praise. In just six verses, the word "praise" appears thirteen times, bookended by "Hallelujah"—which simply means "Praise the Lord!" This isn't a suggestion or a nice idea for those who feel like it. It's a command that echoes from heaven to earth: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

The psalmist paints a picture of worship that's anything but quiet. Trumpets blast. Cymbals clash. Dancers move. Every instrument joins the symphony, and every voice adds to the chorus. Biblical praise isn't about maintaining decorum—it's about responding wholeheartedly to a God who deserves our everything.

Why We Hold Back

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned that reverence means restraint. We absorbed unspoken rules: sit still, stay quiet, don't make a scene. But reverence isn't the absence of passion—it's passion rightly directed.

The truth is, we don't praise what we don't value, and we don't value what we don't notice. When we lose sight of God's greatness—His mighty acts, His unchanging character, His abundant grace—our praise fades. We forget that the same God who parted the Red Sea walks with us through impossible situations. The same God who raised Lazarus from the dead is processing us through our grief.

Memory fuels praise. When we remember who God is and what He's done, worship becomes the natural overflow.

Practical Steps to Awaken Your Praise

1. Remember God's faithfulness. Before you worship, take a moment to recall specific ways God has shown up in your life. Write them down. Speak them aloud. Let gratitude build.

2. Engage your whole self. Praise isn't just a mental exercise. Sing, even if you think you can't. Lift your hands. Stand. Move. God created your body for worship—use it.

3. Take praise beyond Sunday. Let worship overflow from the sanctuary into your home, your workplace, your car. Every space you enter as a believer is a space where God reigns and deserves your praise.

4. Don't compare. Your praise may look different from someone else's, and that's okay. What matters isn't style—it's sincerity. Give God the authentic response He deserves.

Your Breath, His Glory

Here's a sobering reality: every breath you take is borrowed. You didn't create it. You don't sustain it. And one day, it will return to God. The question is, what will you do with the breath God has given you today?

If you're breathing, Psalm 150 is talking to you. God isn't asking whether praise fits your personality or your mood. He's asking whether He is worthy. And the answer is always yes.

Take the next step: This week, commit to one specific act of praise each day. Whether it's singing in your car, thanking God aloud for His provision, or simply pausing to acknowledge His presence—let your life become a living hallelujah.

Prayer: Father, forgive us for the times we've given our loudest cheers to things that don't matter and our quietest whispers to You. Reignite our passion for Your glory. Help us remember who You are and what You've done. May our praise overflow from our hearts into every corner of our lives. We offer You our breath, our voices, our whole selves. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Posted by David Hopkins with

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