07/15/2017
How far would I walk to hear the the gospel, or to see the grave of a disciple whose hand held the cloak of Jesus? How long would I travel to save the soul of one man or woman who had never heard of my Lord Jesus Christ? Would I walk on Pilgrimage over the Pyrenees and across Spain to Santiago de Compostela? Would I sail across raging seas in a wooden boat to reach one centurion?
“I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
Romans 1:14-15 ESV
Millions have travelled the Pilgrim's trail to visit the tomb of St. James, and Paul sailed to Rome through violent seas to deliver the gospel of Jesus to Rome. Where have I been, and who have I saved?
I wrote a few weeks ago about an Ethiopian Pastor that travels to the Middle East to preach the gospel of Christ. His resolve is stronger than a tempest, and his faith deeper than any ocean trench. In the most dangerous place on earth for a Christian to walk... he steps forth, and speaks of Rome, Peter, Paul, and raises the banner of Jesus Christ while declaring Him King. Where have I been, and who have I saved?
Have you ever asked yourself these questions? I am not talking about flying to a town where everyone knows who Jesus is and spending a week, or walking from the car into a Soup Kitchen to feed men who eat there every day. I'm talking about getting knocked down and blinded by Jesus then picking yourself up and going wherever He sends you, or walking side by side with your faith across scorching miles until the hand you find in yours is His. Where have we been, and who have we saved.
“And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."”
Acts 9:5-6 ESV
We long to hear His voice as He tells us where He would have us go, and to see the dust from His feet as they travel beside ours towards the revelation that awaits us, but we all want it to be grand... for the journey to be epic, and the souls to be numerous. That isn't always where He sends us, or how it is.
I was a biology major in college and one of the most amazing things, perhaps more incredible than scenes of the Serengeti, or an Alaskan salmon run, was what I found on a small slide I slide into my microscope. Not every marvel is large, and not every miracle is one our eyes can see. Sometimes the voice sends us to do marvelous things in small places, and to take miraculous journeys in a single step.
So perhaps the walk from my car to the soup kitchen is my Pilgrimage, and the man I hand the sandwich to, and tell about my savior, is the only soul I will ever be called to reach... but isn't that magnificent if it is His will?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for sending me out to witness to others, and I thank you for the journey we are traveling together. Holy Father, I listen for your voice that sends me, and the footsteps of Jesus that I trace. I praise you for the epic journeys you send so many on, and I praise you for the small microscope slide that contains the sum of my calling. Lord give me the insight into your Word, and the magnification necessary to see the wonder of your will for me. Never let me underestimate what you have prepared for me, and the importance of worlds so small that their entirety is comprised of a single invaluable soul. Father, it was DNA that none could see which formed my Lord Jesus in the womb of Mary, and it was the way of grief, the way of suffering, the Via Dolorosa, that was so short and yet reached from Jerusalem, to Hell, and into heaven itself. Never let me confuse the size of your calling with the importance you place on it, and never let me attempt to measure the length of my journey with an earthly rule. Praised be your name Father, and regardless of where you send me... show me your boundless glory... in the great or small.
Rich Forbes