| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Be the church” Our Bible verse for today: “He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Jesus is the answer” Jesus is the answer. That is all. Have a nice day. Okay, wait, there’s more. When it comes to us being the church out in the world, we need to remember that Jesus is the answer. What the world needs is Jesus. He is the answer to all the world’s problems and therefore our job as the church, is to simply give them Jesus. If we lead people to faith in Christ and teach them to be His disciples, that right there will go a long way towards dealing with every other problem including broken families, addiction, sexual immorality, and all the other social ills in our society. Winning elections will not solve our problems – Jesus will. Getting the right legislation passed will not solve our problems – Jesus will. Winning arguments on Facebook will not solve our problems – Jesus will. I addressed this issue in the sermon at Oak Hill Baptist Church this past Sunday. If you missed it, I encourage you to go to our YouTube page and watch the worship service (the link is at the end of this devotional.) What the world really needs is Jesus, and it’s our job to tell them about Him. I read a fascinating article a few years ago in Christianity Today magazine. The title was, “When COVID 19 Hurts, the Bible Brings Hope.” The subtitle was, “A new study shows scripture reading correlates with Harvard measures of human flourishing.” The article was about how researchers from the American Bible Society teamed up with researchers from the Harvard University Human Flourishing Program to study what impact regular Bible reading and attending church had on Christians during a time of crisis and extended trials. What they discovered was something that some of the Harvard people may have found surprising, but which committed disciples of Christ have known for two thousand years – Bible reading and church-going make a person stronger, happier, healthier, and more resilient. The authors of the study wrote, “The evidence shows that Americans who actively engage with the Bible and in corporate worship score higher on every measure of human flourishing, including better mental and physical health and a deeper sense of character and virtue. They even have a greater sense of financial and material stability compared to those who don’t attend church or engage with the Bible.” Additionally, Tyler VanderWeele, the Director of the Harvard program wrote, “The churches have an important and profound role in contributing to people’s well-being in general – and especially so during this time … People who attend church and read their Bibles tend to be happier, are less likely to commit suicide, and have a greater sense of purpose in their lives.” In Matthew 4:4 we read of the time that Jesus spent forty days and forty nights in the desert fasting and preparing Himself spiritually to begin his ministry on earth. At the end of that time, He was exhausted and famished. That’s when Satan showed up – at the very time He was weakest and most vulnerable. And that’s when Satan launched his attack. Jesus’ response is revealing and instructive. He informed Satan that although He was struggling physically, spiritually He was strong because He had fed His spirit on the words of God. Jesus then recited scripture from memory, He worshiped, and He drew His strength from God. What the world needs is Jesus. He is the answer to society’s ills. When a person has a relationship with Jesus, they will also have the Holy Spirit in their life who will help them to be spiritually strong, and then they will be better able to face every other issue in life. It is our job as the church to get out there tell the world about Jesus. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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