Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
When a crisis strikes, decisions must be made on how to proceed. Emergency personnel are trained to think rationally and consistently in moments of chaos. While many panic or flee, the emergency personnel move calmly and urgently toward the situation, addressing the urgent needs. When circumstances get difficult in life, it is easy to let panic consume us. We don’t know why something happened or how to move forward.
So far in Jesus’s recorded ministry, He had one moment of public affirmation followed by forty days of temptation and then a great hit to His ministry—a partner in ministry arrested. You would think some of these trials would change His outlook or at least cause Him to slow down from sharing but He continued with the same urgent message: “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus wasn’t ignoring about the gravity of the situation, but He pressed forward with the mission. Difficult circumstances may tempt us to put our faith on the back burner. But Jesus knew the way forward was through the gospel alone. Worry will not change our circumstances; only God can heal our hearts and restore what has been broken. Like Jesus, regardless of our circumstances, our message is to stay the same. We must continue to repent, turn from sin, and keep believing Jesus, even when it doesn’t make sense. In moments of crisis, the good news of Jesus is the message that is desperately needed.
- What are some moments of challenge or opposition that have affected your faith?
- Who can you encourage to press on in faith when it is hard?
- Pray and ask God to help you to hold onto the hope of the gospel and share it with others.
