Good News | Rend Collective DevotionalSample

Rescuer

Luke 4:18

“Am I wasting my life?”

“What am I doing here?”

“What even is it that You’ve called me to do?”

I remember frantically praying these questions, as the walls of my dressing room buzzed and rattled from the rhythmic thunder of the pre-show playlist.

Of all the times and places I could find myself scrambling to determine the very reason for my ministry, fifteen minutes prior to leading worship was not a convenient one.

Tears rolled down my cheeks and onto my guitar. The weight of an exhausting, sabbath-less schedule crashed into me all at once. 

“Jesus, just remind me why we do this. Why you’ve led me here”, I prayed weakly.  

And in one of those grace saturated moments that is all too rare in my life, I actually heard His voice speak in my spirit:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on [you],

because he has anointed [you]

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent [you] to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind…”

Immediately I knew what I was born to do, and why I had to sing that night : to proclaim good news.

And I can say with confidence that it’s your calling too.

I don’t know if you struggle with questions about your calling and purpose, but guessing by the entire wall of books on the subject bursting out of the “Christian Living” section of Barnes and Noble, I reckon there’s a good chance. 

The popularity of personality tests like Strengths Finder and Enneagram are evidence that we’re dying to know who we are and what we should be doing.

But what if it actually wasn’t complicated at all? 

Being a Christian just really means being as much like Jesus as possible. 

Our calling - our ministry - is to keep doing the kinds of things that Jesus was, and is, doing in the world. 

We are made to participate in the same mission as Jesus.

If you’re wondering what that mission is precisely, Jesus makes it so simple for us. 

Right at the start of His ministry, He goes to the synagogue, picks up a scroll from the prophet Isaiah and announces His mission statement.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news…”

In biblical times, people were anointed with oil when they were being commissioned for a specific task. For example David was anointed by Samuel for the task of being King of Israel.

The Father gave Jesus the task of proclaiming good news and so this is our task too.

The world is so full of bad news right now - it needs a church that broadcasts good news at the top of its lungs, amplifier cranked to eleven.

I’m pretty sure our calling isn’t so much about the specifics - whether or not God wants us to do art or economics at college, with whether or not we should take the manager position at that other company or whether we should go on that mission trip - it’s about making sure that whatever we find ourselves doing, we do it in such a way that it proclaims Jesus’ good news.

Maybe that means you’re called to invite that lonely neighbor over for dinner and listen to his stories - because good news for him is knowing he isn’t forgotten.

Maybe it means you’re called to sponsor a child with World Vision - because good news is an education and something to eat.

Maybe it means you’re called to make an incredible piece of art for the world to admire- because the fact that there is beauty in this broken world is definitely good news.

Of course it also means you’re called to tell someone who doesn’t know Jesus about grace, mercy and the offer of real, meaningful, abundant life found in the gospel story.

It’s good to pray into what God has in store for your future. He has a plan for you. But you don’t have to wait until you’ve got every last detail worked out to begin living out your calling. Look for opportunities today to proclaim good news - the spirit of the Lord is upon you, and you have been anointed for the task.