FRIDAY
I’ve been trying to say a couple of new phrases a lot more lately: “Jesus is better” and “Jesus is worth it.” I hope these catch on around church. This is shorter way of stating our mission.
To discover abundant life in Christ and live it together.
We believe that what Jesus calls abundant life is infinitely better than what the world has to offer in this life and for eternity.
Last week we talked about our ultimate purpose—our ultimate “why.” From the New City Catechism, we find that our ultimate purpose is to “know him, love him, live with him and to glorify him.” These two simple phrases get at these ideas in a bite-sized way. When I say “Jesus is better” I mean, “knowing him, loving him, living with him is better than anything the world has to offer.” Why would we turn aside to anyone or anything else? When I say “Jesus is worth it” (Or “Jesus is worthy of it”) I mean, “He is worthy of any sacrifice I make in this life. I want my life to glorify him and not myself.”
So this is our “why.”
Q: Why do you give so much of your time and resources to your church? A: Jesus is worth it.
Q: Why don’t you put your kids in all the traveling sports leagues and miss church? A: Jesus is better.
Q: Why don’t you slander the opposing political party? A: Jesus is better.
Q: Why are you not anxious with everything going on in the world? A: Jesus is better.
Q: Why are you just going to forgive that person who offended you so deeply? A: Jesus is better.
Q: Why do you sing so much when you stink at singing? A: Jesus is worth it.
Q: Why do you have joy even when things aren’t going your way? A: Jesus is better.
Our mission is not predicated on effectiveness. It is built on glorifying God (Father, Son and Spirit) and knowing him, loving him and living with him. We will do that and leave the results in the hands of God.
Psalm 46:10 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Trusting that Jesus is better and Jesus is worth it is the foundation of living this abundant life in Christ when competing worldviews are tempting us to look elsewhere and when common knowledge suggests the Jesus way of living is crazy.