Thursday September 22 | Right here
Read Acts 1:6-11
“In Jerusalem.” Yesterday, we said that our mission to partner with God in restoring shalom is broad in its geographic focus - God wants all creation to flourish.
Today, we’ll look at the first part of Acts 1:8. Our focus on people is broad and specific because God wants to be known by all people. In the same way, the work to restore shalom in creation is broad, because God wants all creation to flourish. We get to help creation flourish all over the whole world and right where God has placed us.
I don’t know about you, but I definitely grew up thinking that the “real work” of God’s Kingdom was happening through people who went to live in another country as missionaries. In my mind, those people were the ones really joining God on His mission.
Of course, as I’ve matured in my faith and learned more about the global church, I’ve come to realize that the majority of the work of doing God’s mission and bringing shalom is done right where God has put us. Some people are called to live in other countries, but most of us are invited to join God’s mission right where we are - in our jobs, families, and neighborhoods.
Saying yes to God’s mission means seeing every single part of our lives as submitted to it! That means we don’t go to work for the paycheck - we go to expand God’s mission of restoring shalom. We don’t enter marriage just because we love someone - we enter marriage to be restorers of shalom together. We live in our neighborhood as God’s agents of shalom.
Spend a few minutes praying that God will help you see your life, in every arena, as somewhere He has specifically placed you for the sake of His mission. Share your reflections with someone today and pray for each other to live on mission!