Daily Devotional

You may be familiar with the author Stephen Covey and his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In the book, one of Covey's encouraged habits is to begin with the end in mind. The idea is that whenever one begins a new day, task, or project, he or she should start with a clear vision of the desired direction or destination.

In today's passage, Paul and Barnabas understood the desired direction/destination. Their primary mission was centered on the gospel message. Their assignment was to be witnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. If that was the goal, then everything else that happens, every step along the way, and every encounter along the journey should contribute to that goal. There are no isolated incidents. No random occurrences. No coincidences. And in the text, we see the miraculous good that happened through these followers of Christ, which served to validate the message.

As the student ministries pastor, I love seeing our students engaged in local and global missions. I love seeing them serve on mission trips, during VBS, and in other community events. I love seeing families flood our campuses during our GLOW & Upward Sports events. I LOVE seeing our neighbors' faces light up when we sing about the joy the world has received from our Savior's birth during our Christmas Caroling outreach. Yet all of the events, programs, fun, food, and festivities should serve as a means that support the message.

Jesus told His disciples that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church, aka we are on "offense". The ball is in our court, and we are continuing the mission that Jesus began. God's plan is for Christians to take the powerful and good news of the gospel to spiritually dark and hard-to-reach places with the utmost confidence that Jesus will, in fact, build His church.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.