Are you someone who prides yourself on common sense and morality? Do you believe it to be a substitute for faith in God? Throughout my life I have heard people say about someone, “they are a good person and do good things.”, but is that enough to please God? Is that enough to earn them eternal life?
Do you think that Jesus gave His life for us out of sympathy for our plight alone? Do you think He saw our sin and set about to relieve us of it because of empathy or simply out of mercy? No, Jesus gave His life out of obedience to the Father, and He agreed to pay a price without knowing how much it was. The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus came out of absolute obedience to God. By saying this I am not inferring that He didn’t have compassion or love for us; I am simply saying His first and foremost motivation was to obey God, and to do His will. Jesus was here at the Father’s bidding. There is no place that this is more evident than in the Garden of Gethsemane
Are you in search of the “things” of your life; you know, the thrill of your life, the job of your life, the experience of your life, and if you are so fortunate, the love of your life? These are all examples of the “things” that we find ourselves seeking. These are the “things” that we believe will make us happy, and if we are honest with ourselves, we all long for these things to some degree, but are we ever truly happy when we think we’ve found them?
The hardest question that any missionary faces isn’t “can I go out and do this?”, but rather “is Jesus able to do this through me?” It all boils down to faith, and it begins with the faith of the missionaries themselves. Going out and reciting scripture can be done by anyone, but believing belongs to the disciple, and what is a missionary if not first a disciple?
Do we identify ourselves as being missionaries? Is that what we do as a vocation, or is it a part of our everyday life as we go to and from work, and mix with all those we come into contact with each day? Being a missionary is not just an amazing calling, but should be the goal of every Christian. Spreading the gospel to one, or one hundred thousand makes no difference in what we are asked to do, and to what we are called. Whether we refer to ourselves as an evangelist, a missionary, or just a Christian... spreading the gospel is what we are meant to do.
Have you found Jesus, and now you are attempting to reach out and bring others to Him? Well, are you certain you really know who He is? If you think you have sought and found Him, I wonder, because we don’t find Him through searching... God draws, or calls, us to Him. And, is there a great mystery in this?
Do you lay awake at night and plot the course you will take tomorrow? Do you make battle plans against the forces of darkness, or arrange your spiritual strategy for holiness? If so, then woe to you, because the seas we sail, and the battles we fight, are not ours. We are just sailors aboard the vessel of God, and soldiers in the army of the King. We sail for him and do battle in His war. When we triumph it is in Jesus Christ alone... follow His lead.
What is our mission? What has God asked us to do before all else? Is it to feed the bodies of hungry people, or to feed their souls? Is it to clothe the naked with soft wool, or to clothe them in the white robes of Salvation? Is it to quench the thirst of dehydrated mouths, or to give them living water to satisfy the spirit? Jesus sent His disciples into the world to deliver the gospel, and so He sends us today... His desire is that we deliver the message!
When God calls or speaks to us we more often than not hear the message, and then receive a confirmation. Sometimes we aren’t quick in listening or answering and God repeats himself, but when we finally say “Here am I” to Him, we still get confirmation. Does God sign the letters He sends you? Are you the signature on someone else’s note or invitation?
How do we pursue righteousness, and live lives of true faith? Do we seek excitement, advancement, or greatness, and prayerfully ask God for these things in the same breath in which we are asking Him for a deeper belief and faith? If a preacher is serving in a small church filled with God fearing families, does he plead in prayer to become the pastor of a megachurch and have a television show that bears his name? Well, these things can be devastating distractions to his faith and the downfall of salvation for many. Instead, he should desire that Jesus lead him and his congregation towards sainthood, not towards fame, notoriety, or wealth. All of the world’s treasure and glory is of little consequence to God, and should likewise be to us as well.
We all have touchstones in our lives by which we measure ourselves and the quality of our lives; those people, places, and events that we consider to represent our ideal. Is Jesus the touchstone of all touchstones in your life? Do you measure all else, even your other touchstones based on Him?
Are we quietly preparing ourselves for those things that the Lord would have us do? How about for His return? We can be so busy doing things for God in these days and times that we can often forget to plan and prepare ourselves for the Lord’s return. We can find ourselves treating this world as if it were our destination, but this is only a shipyard in which we are being faired, and prepared to sail.
How intimate are we with Jesus? Is our relationship close enough, and deep enough, that we don’t keep secrets, and that we can do the grossest of natural things in front of Him without embarrassment? Can we sit under a tree for hours and tell Him our wildest dreams or confide in Him our darkest thoughts? I encourage each of us to not have a lukewarm relationship with Jesus, and to become more than simple acquaintances in our faith by allowing Him to abide in us, as we abide in Him.
What are the works and miracles that we do in the name of Jesus? Are they greater than those done by Jesus Himself, or are we a disappointment to ourselves, and God? To get at the root of this feeling we must explore our belief, understanding, and ability to pray effectively. When Jesus asked for the cup to be taken from Him in the Garden of Gethsemane do we think He was disappointed when it wasn’t?
Are we praying for God to call us to perform some great task for His kingdom? Do we have a desire to do wonderful things for our Holy Father? Sometimes we take it upon ourselves to determine what that task might be. Brothers and Sisters, let’s stop trying to determine for ourselves how God can best use us, and pray instead that He shows us what He already has prepared for us to do, and that is to spread the gospel.