Written by Cafe 1040 Staff
Romans 10:14-15
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!
As years go by, the challenges of life seem to evolve. For most of us, when we think back to high school, the biggest bothers are usually things like someone making fun of the outfit you wore or the struggle to balance school, sports, and a part-time job.
“Jesus is your friend, he is with you always,” says the counselor at camp. You scribble it in your journal, mainly concerned about what activity is coming up next.
College comes with its unique roadblocks, facing responsibilities you’ve never handled before. Finances feel daunting, relationships carry weight, and all of a sudden your decisions have consequences that aren't so simple to fix.
“Jesus cares for you, he has an eternal purpose for your life,” says your pastor. You take note, also taking note of how the words feel weightier than when you’ve heard them in the past.
Over time, war and politics move from the background to the foreground of your mind. There’s a darkness you see some neighbors living in — and sadly, even some friends. The brokenness of the world becomes more real, and with it comes heartache in need of healing.
“I didn’t come to condemn the world, I came to save the world,” says Jesus. You listen and pray, spending time with your savior. Not knowing what you would do without this hope.
Then one day, you’re painting the nursery, and you get a phone call from your mom. She tells you your dad is sick with a terminal disease. Incurable and there’s a chance you’re carrying the gene. You lay awake that night, pondering the future before you.
“I have the mind of Christ and the bloodline of Abraham. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me,” you say to the lies, as you call upon Jesus. “I walk in victory, for God is for me not against me.” You think about the future before you, and you see hope. Through the tears in your eyes, you see life.
Hatred, murder, war, and disease is never the end of the story with Christ, for Jesus came to save. Come challenge and hardship, heaven awaits you. Praise the Lord for this peace.
We thank the Lord today for giving us hope that is beyond the hardships of this life, and we pray for the billions of people - many who will live and die without ever even hearing of Jesus - who face challenges and hardship without the hope of eternal life. In the words of Romans “How can they call on him to save unless they believe in him?”
This is PART 1/5 of a devotional series written based on the key passage for Cafe 1040’s Annual Giving Campaign. A new devotional will be published every week, and we hope you will be blessed by them and pray alongside us.
