Mental Health Sunday Devotional - Day 4

THE CHURCH IS HERE

FOR YOU

SCRIPTURE READING: PSALM 23:6 & LUKE 10:25-37

We've journeyed through Psalm 23 and discovered much about our identity and God's identity. From the realization that we are not alone in our struggles to the realization that God, Himself, is with us, protecting us and able to provide for us, David then ends the chapter with this beautiful verse:

SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, AND I SHALL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER.

PSALM 23:6

This verse casts a vision for a bright future. It reminds us of the access we have to God, and ultimately, it reminds us of our eternal destination in the physical presence of God. We will be without pain, sorrow, and tears. We will be fully restored.

But as we await that promised future, we are here now...on a broken earth. How do we function? Everywhere we turn, it seems there is loneliness, sorrow, and pain. We experience it and we suffer from it. Is all hope lost until Jesus returns?

Certainly not!

Jesus established His Church before He ascended to Heaven. And this is a big deal for many reasons.

REASON #1: THE CHURCH IS JESUS' BRIDE.

You cannot read the Bible without coming to the realization that Jesus loves His Church. It's the system He established to carry out the work of making disciples over all the earth so everyone can hear the Good News of salvation in Jesus and be spiritually freed from bondage!

REASON #2: THE CHURCH IS HERE TO EXPAND THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Jesus entrusted the work of disciple-making to us! He empowers us through the Holy Spirit to carry the Gospel message to the ends of the earth. And He actively works through us to accomplish His will. God isn't in need of anything, but He loves us so much that He wants us to participate and experience the benefits of this reconciliation.

REASON #3: THE CHURCH PROVIDES A COMMUNITY FOR THE BROKEN.

Along with our stewardship of making disciples and teaching them to follow Jesus, we are able to cultivate community as God intended on earth-a place where we display the fruit of the Spirit, a place where we care for one another, and a place where we invest in relationships.

John 13:35 says it this way, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Through the Church, we receive much blessing. But God also makes His expectations clear for how we are to operate within the Church.

Consider the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.

We see three components of this parable: the robbed man, the Good Samaritan, and the inn-keeper. The beauty of Jesus' parables is the depth and breadth we can discover as we dig into them. Oftentimes, we want to identify as the hero-the Good Samaritan! But in all honesty, how often do we more so feel more like the robbed man?

Broken, beaten down, without hope. It might be physical, but more often, it's mental. We feel lost and alone, like the robbed man in this story.

Then Jesus comes-the Good Samaritan. He carries us, pays the price, and ensures our care through the inn-keeper, empowering the work needed to do so. Here's where the truly exciting opportunity comes.

What if we started thinking of the inn-keeper as the church? What if Jesus empowered us to care for those who were hurting, broken, and without hope? Lean in close…..because the truth is...He not only empowers us to do so, but He commands it.

The church is here to care for the hurting.

The church is here to cultivate healing and hope.

There is no timeline or price tag too great.

God's Church will be known for its love.

What if we started today? What if it started with you?

Let God's goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life, and see how its reflection fares in the darkness of this world.