In Acts 13, Paul stands in a synagogue in Antioch and announces good news: the Son of David—Jesus—died, was buried, and rose again without seeing decay. The gospel is not only our rescue from hell; it’s God’s restoration project in our everyday lives. Through the new covenant, the Holy Spirit moves from being beside us to living within us. Rules can restrain; only the Spirit can remake.
Paul closes with a warning from Habakkuk: “Look, you scoffers… I am doing a work in your days.” Warnings are love in advance. They invite us to choose belief over cynicism so we don’t miss what God is doing right now.
Fast-forward to Paul’s letter to Timothy: “In the last days… people will be lovers of themselves.” The list is haunting—and familiar. But the remedy isn’t a louder rant; it’s a reordered life. JOY has always been Jesus first, Others second, You third. Our culture preaches the opposite (YOJ), promising happiness while feeding anxiety and emptiness. The way of Jesus feels upside down because it is: losing life to find it, giving to receive, serving to lead, embracing holy discomfort to grow.
This isn’t self-neglect; it’s Spirit-led order. When Jesus is first, love flows outward. When others are second, we discover the surprising happiness of pouring out. When we finally get to “you,” what we find isn’t deprivation but delight—joy that comfort alone could never produce.
So here’s our invitation this week: put Jesus first in your rhythms (Scripture before screens), put others on your calendar (planned service, not accidental), and let the Spirit empower you beyond appearances into real transformation. Expect God to “do a work in your days,” and don’t be surprised when joy shows up on the other side of obedience.