To the Ends of the Earth: Witness – Week 9, Day 1 – Real Brotherly Love Is Action Love
Sponsored
Catholic365 is sponsored by
Road to Purity
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Ephesians 1:3–10
In Jesus, God offers us the treasures of eternity, the power of his presence, and the hope of heaven. This reality should shape our lives and shine forth in everything we say and do as we witness to God’s love in our broken and hurting world. Because we have been lifted up to the heavenly places, woven into the eternal plan of salvation, and lavished with the riches of heaven’s grace, we share in the constancy of God’s power manifesting in our lives. It is this constant outpouring of the Holy Spirit into our lives that empowers us to live out God’s will in the ever-unfolding story of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.
In this world there are very few things we can count on consistently. People, institutions, machines, the weather — nothing is ever totally reliable. Money, friends, pleasure, and possessions offer no permanent solutions to the emptiness we face in ourselves. They fail to fill the God-sized void within every human heart. Only God can truly satisfy our every longing as he reveals to us the mysteries of the kingdom. Because Christ enables us to live above the temporary trappings of this world, drawing our strength and joy from those things that truly matter — love and righteous living, faith and family, truth and transformation — we can more perfectly reflect the light that breaks through the darkness that blinds others to their need for Jesus.
Hebrews 1:10–12 tells us, “‘You, Lord, founded the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all grow old like a garment, like a cloak you will roll them up, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end.’” As we live within this holy, heavenly experience of the constant love of God, we have the power to pass on eternal principles to those who are struggling with the emptiness of earthly existence.
This week, we will consider five ways these eternal principles strengthen our witness to the lost.
1. This world sees only the temporary; we bear witness to what is eternal.
In the end, the universe will be discarded like an old garment, yet God remains the same forever. As we live out this truth, bearing witness to the true source of peace, power, and prosperity, we help to strip away the world’s lie that anything other than God can satisfy the emptiness in the human heart. We become the light that shines into the darkness and draws the lost into the heavenly places.
2. The world takes until we are dry; God gives until we overflow.
Every good and perfect gift comes down to us from the One who never changes (Jas 1:17). The world will offer false hope, imperfect, conditional gifts, and empty promises that can never fulfill. It will exhaust our efforts and bleed us dry but never provide what we truly need. Believers, however, experience the abundance of God’s love, and it overflows from our lives into the lives of the lost until they can see the truth of what God offers to those who seek him.
3. God gives us eternal, imperishable, enduring nourishment.
As witnesses of God’s love in the world, we are called to work, not for what will perish, but for what will last (Jn 6:27). Jesus gives us his very life in the Eucharist. As we are fed by God, we are enabled to become broken bread and poured out wine to the weary world. We can offer the feast of heaven’s banquet hall to spiritually starving souls, calling them into the family of God and ultimately to the table to receive the food that truly satisfies.
4. Though we are inconsistent, God remains the same.
As we walk the road of salvation, we will stumble in our efforts to bear witness to Christ in the world. Though we are inconsistent, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). Ultimately, the power of our witness to others comes not in our own strength, but in the grace of the Son of God that is poured into our lives day by day. As we work out our own salvation, our efforts will, in the end, point to Jesus and him alone.
5. The world destroys; God gives abundant life.
Jesus came that we might have life and have it to the full (Jn 10:10). While Satan will do his best to try to destroy our witness, the abundant, overflowing, and perfect life of Christ poured out into our lives will strengthen us for the trials of life and lead us to walk the narrow way side by side with our family of faith. The fullness of Christ spilling out into our lives will draw others into the kingdom and overcome anything the enemy can throw at us.
A Call to Action
This week, take time to focus on the constancy of God’s love for you. Meditate on the truths of the Faith and celebrate that you exist with Christ in the heavenly places, drawing your strength from his perfect, eternal power that has been poured out into your life. Let this power shape your every word and deed as you bear witness to the Gospel, both through your everyday living and in the specific ways you reach out to those around you.
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
