Job Description for God and His People

The year 2022 has observed and experienced various hardships globally. The tension between the North Korean and South Korean governments has reached its climax, and the Chinese Communist Party’s ambition has been publicly announced as China is being transformed by Xi Jinping’s political ideology. Many countries are experiencing one-digit to triple-digit inflation. For example, the US inflation rate is 7.11 percent; Iran has the inflation rate of 52.2 percent; Argentina 88 percent; Syria 139 percent; Zimbabwe 269 percent. What about the political corruption in Peru, the impact of the Covid on every corner of the world, and Putin’s ruthless invasion of Ukraine? Yes, people around the world are suffering and crying out for help. Then how should Christians respond to the trials of the world and the people in pain and suffering?

We need to respond to God first by anchoring our hope in the Lord always. All the tribulations that human beings have been dealing with since the beginning of the universe are the result of the vicious cycle of human sin, invading every part of our lives, including our finances, health, society, culture, DNA, mind, and relationship with God and fellow human beings made in his image. Only God can resolve the problem of sin, the very origin of human suffering. When the kingdom of God is fully established on the earth, human sin and suffering will no longer exist. The book of Isaiah makes this point clear: “[He] will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken” (Isa. 25:8). Apostle John during his exile was comforted by the message of Isaiah and shared his hope in the Lord: “He [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev 21:4). This is our hope in the Lord Jesus! 

Then, how should we wait for God’s final deliverance? We do so in obedience. We do not simply wait for the Lord without doing anything. Just as Jesus commands us, we participate in the hardships of others by taking care of the poor, marginalized, disabled, orphan, and widow, the very victims of the unfairness of the sinful world. Encouragement, prayer, and financial support are great ways to take care of them. Inviting them to our church community and small group is even more effective and biblical ways to participate in their hardships. This is how we as the bride prepare ourselves and wait for the Groom, just as the ten virgins waited for the groom with extra oil. Of course, our small contribution cannot solve the problems of the world, and God has not given us such a responsibility. Saving the world is God’s job description as the Savior of the world, while our responsibilities are to trust him as the Lord of our lives and submit to his words. As God always fulfills his job description, we must do our jobs.

Here, it is crucial to understand that this obedience is not a work-based deed to earn God’s salvation, which is the teaching of other religions. The obedience for the followers of Jesus is the expression of our gratitude for the greatest gift that we freely received from him through his grace and for the glorious opportunity to serve the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This gratitude is also grounded in the privilege of having a personal relationship with Jesus from the moment of the confession of our faith in him, while still living in this world filled with injustice, unfairness, suffering, and disappointment. God who knows our pain, disappointment, failure, hopelessness, and helplessness and loves us with his unconditional, holy, and sovereign love is with us all the time. Immanuel. Praise God! Isn’t this amazing? Isn’t this the greatest news and gift for all of us? Isn’t this the message of Christmas that we should always remind ourselves of each day to renew our allegiance to the King and to reignite our love for him? 

As we are about to welcome the year 2023, we do so with hope in our Deliverer and commitment to participate in the hardships of others in obedience to express our gratitude for the greatest gift ever. In this way, we confess our faith in Jesus and participate in the life of Jesus simultaneously. I pray that 2023 may be the year of our active and robust faith filled with gratitude, hope, and commitment, so that many people around the world may explore Christian faith as a means to endure and overcome their unfortunate circumstances and find Jesus as their light while living in the midst of darkness. Remember, our work and obedience in the Lord is never wasteful, for he is able to use all things for his glory!

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1Cor. 15:57-58).

Happy New Year!