"To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map". -William Carey
"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am compelled to preach: yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" -1 Cor. 9:16
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit." -John 15:16
"Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a Shepherd... the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."
God uses those who commit themselves to Him, to serve Him in whatever capacity. A missionary is one who is sent by God. Where we’re sent is irrelevant...
"I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light". -John Keith Falconer
The fact that we’re doing what He has commissioned us to do is exceedingly relevant. It’s all about making disciples. Matthew 28:18-20 states that ALL authority on heaven and earth has been given to Jesus. Therefore, we can go out and make disciples for Him because He has all authority. If we think we can go out on our own authority, we will be blasted because we are invading a battleground. In Christian ministry and as a missionary, you are invading a spiritual battleground. Satan will do anything he can to destroy us, to make us appear ineffective. We need to stand firm and strong in the power of the Lord.
Is your heart committed to Him? Then He wants to use you to serve Him. We need to be grounded in the Word of God. That it’s by His Spirit, not our own strengths, abilities or resources. The command to “GO” in Matthew 28:18-20 is a present participle, which means the verb tense can be translated “as you’re going”. Jesus wasn't just issuing a command to GO, that was already assumed, the command was for what to do as we're going. As a missionary, we're missionaries wherever we go, God sometimes just changes the scenery. Our passion for missions is weak often because our passion for God is weak. It is the love of Christ that compels us, not our love for Christ. My love for Christ is inadequate. We can never minister to the body of Christ without having the heart of Christ, the love OF Christ.
The power of love is the language we all have in common. He puts a passion on our hearts for certain places and people groups often, but ultimately He puts a passion on our hearts for Himself. He calls us to Himself. As we realize what He’s done for us is only how we begin to share Him with others. Our maturity takes place when we apply what we’ve already learned on a daily basis. We need to be doers of His Word and not merely hearers, as the book of James warns. We need such a personal relationship with Jesus Christ before we could ever purpose to serve Him.
"Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you". -1 Samuel 12:24
Consider what great things He’s done for you. We can know the will of God (Rom. 12:1-2). God’s looking for who’s hearts are committed to Him.
Our worth to God in public ministry is 100% contingent upon our relationship with Him in private. If we don’t have it in private, we’ll never have it out there in public ministry or on the mission field. If there’s going to be an advancement of God’s Kingdom it better be through the work of the Holy Spirit or our work will be in vain (Ps. 127:1). What is really important in life? Add up everything money can’t buy and death cannot steal away. Be set apart, Holy and consecrated to Him.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". -Matt. 6:19-21
Christianity is a missionary faith. God is a global God. God desires we go and make disciples.
"...as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." -John 20:21
He is the propitiation for our sins and the sins of every one in the entire world (1 Jn. 2:2). When we consider what He’s done for us, what else could we do but go out and serve the living God? What is our priority in life?
"Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." -Matt. 6:33
"God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on Him." -Hudson Taylor
When we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts. What thwarts God’s will in our life? Ourselves, our disobedience and our lack of faith keep us from being in God’s will. We need to walk by faith and not by sight. We’re the one that hinders Him. Jesus has a wonderful plan for our lives, but we hinder His work. We get in the way. When our service to God supersedes our devotion to Him, we’re headed for trouble. When we get so caught up in the work, our devotion takes a second place. Our devotion has to come first because the way we come to know Jesus more intimately and passionately is to spend more time with Him.
When we care about the cause more than the causer of all things, we get into trouble. We get so involved in the work of the Lord, that we forget the Lord of the work. Consider the cost for being His disciple, no matter where He sends you; it costs everything. Don’t diminish what it costs, the commands of discipleship; Jesus never did. Ministry is what God does in us and through us to His glory, not what we do for God. It's not about us. We need to identify ourselves in God’s interests, seek first His kingdom. Spend your time with those who desire to know Him more. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He equips the called, not calls the equipped. Jesus Christ requires we stand in the shadow of the Cross. He’s looking for those who’s hearts are fully committed to Him. He prepares beforehand the steps we’re supposed to walk in and gives us our spiritual gifts for His work. Never take on more work than you can pray for.
Prayer reaches as far as God reaches. We’re fighting a spiritual battle, not against flesh and blood. When we’re involved in ministry, we’re pulling down strongholds. There’s a lot of loneliness on the mission field. If we’re not standing on the solid rock of Jesus Christ, we’re going to crumble. Don’t be more devoted to being a missionary or a cause than to Jesus. God is BIG enough to change your direction if you’re not going in the right direction. Jesus will always bring us back if we’re not going in His direction. God is a God of organization and inspiration. A servant’s spirit is necessary for a missionary.
"If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and a servant of all". -Mark 9:35
"Sympathy is no substitute for action". -David Livingstone
Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve. We need to serve with our attitude and heart more than in what we do outwardly. A true servant is one in whom Jesus Christ can be seen. God’s strategy has not changed. Jesus was open, transparent, established intimacy with others, and related to people. He made friends with people. Our actions need to bear witness to the words we speak. He had the love that reaches out and brings others in. Jesus was approachable. He was compassionate because He cared about them, not just to get them to follow Him. He was perceptive, He looked beyond the surface; He showed no preference. He’s a humble God. God goes before and works everything out for good. Be a good steward of God’s resources and time. Let Him direct your steps and light your path.
"My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work". - John 4:34
"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent?" -Rom. 10:14-15
"God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies". -Hudson Taylor
"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is to great for me to make for Him". -C.T. Studd
"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell". -C.T. Studd
"To stay here and disobey God- I cannot take the consequence. I would rather go and obey God than to stay here and know that I disobeyed".
"I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China… I don't know who it was… It must have been a man… a well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing… and God looked down… and saw Gladys Aylward… And God said - 'Well, she's willing." - Gladys Aylward
"Brother, if you would enter that Province, you must go forward on your knees."
- J. Hudson Taylor
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Changing a life
"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." -James 1:27
"A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation." -Psalm 68:5
“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan”. -Exodus 22:22
“Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” -Isaiah 1:17
“Your rulers are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless.” -Isaiah 1:23
“But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” -Psalm 10:14
“Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these, you did it unto Me.” -Matthew 25: 45
There is an growing epidemic going on in the world that is only getting larger. Today there are an estimated 163 million orphans and displaced children worldwide (some sources site as many as 210 million) and that number is growing by one orphan every 2 seconds. That is enough children to go around the world at the equator 3 times! That number is also greater than the population in all of Russia. This sad number doesn't even include the millions of children that are abandoned or sold/trafficked. Without assistance these orphans continue the cycle of poverty, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, prostitution and slavery that haunts developing countries. In Africa due to HIV/AIDS, the number of orphans is growing exponentially. Africa has by far the greatest proportion of children that are orphans while Asia has the largest number of orphans due to its population size. In Eastern Europe, less than 50% of the orphan population will live to see their 20th birthdays and of those that do survive, 50% will end up in organized crime, drugs, or prostitution. In Africa, homeless children are armed and used for war. In the US, 25,000 children will leave the foster care system without families and 25% of these foster children will become homeless. 56% of these emancipated foster care children in the U.S. enter the unemployment ranks. 27% of the emancipated male children in foster care end up in jail and 30% of the emancipated foster care females experience early parenthood. 30,000 children in foster care are dropped from the state system because they ran away. In the US, there are 500,000 children left in the foster system each year. California alone is home to 20% of the national total of foster care children, a percentage that is drastically much larger than any other state. 70% of prison inmates in the US are said to have spent some time in a foster home at one time. That makes every person's life affected by this horrible statistics either directly or indirectly.
“Whoever receives a child in My name, receives Me.” -Matthew 18:5
In Russia, there are over 3 million orphans and homeless children. 60% of Russian children are sick and 1.5 million Russian children are classified as "special needs". After leaving a Russian orphanage, 80% of the females become prostitutes, 40% of these children become addicted to drugs, 50% become incarcerated, and more than 10% end up committing suicide.
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." -Prov. 31:8
"Some studies have found that violence in residential institutions is six times higher than violence in foster care, and that children in group care are almost four times more likely to experience sexual abuse than children in family based care."
Every day 5,760 more children become orphans. Each day 38,493 orphans age out. An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked every year; 2 million children, the majority of them girls, are sexually exploited in the multibillion-dollar commercial sex industry. (THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2005)
In Russia, 25% of children live in institutionalized orphanages. China is home to millions of abandoned children, mostly girls, living in institutions across the country. These facilities lack heat, electricity, indoor plumbing and adequate laundry facilities. These institutions are often understaffed, overcrowded and under-resourced. Special needs children are especially underserved.
My heart breaks for these millions of children who deserve to feel loved and deserve to know about Jesus and the TRUE Father to the fatherless. Please pray for these children and that God will give them a better future with an opportunity to hear about His love for them; that God will continue to send more laborers out into His harvest, to share HIS love to these precious children. These statistics can be overwhelming, but nothing is too big for our God. He loves His children and wants them protected. As one person we may not be able to change the world, but we can change the world for one person. Change the world for the heart of that child who deserves to know and feel love. Adopt, foster, sponsor, counsel, mentor, lead, protect... most importantly LOVE HIS PRECIOUS CHILDREN.
Jesus said, "Let the children come to ME, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven". -Matt. 19:14
Amazing organizations that make a difference in their countries in the lives of orphans:
Russia: http://agaperu.org
Africa: http://www.empoweringlives.org
Sponsorships:
World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/sponsor-a-child?open&campaign=1193512&cmp=KNC-1193512
Gospel for Asia: http://www.gfa.org/sponsorachild/
"A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation." -Psalm 68:5
“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan”. -Exodus 22:22
“Learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” -Isaiah 1:17
“Your rulers are rebellious, and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes, and follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless.” -Isaiah 1:23
“But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” -Psalm 10:14
“Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these, you did it unto Me.” -Matthew 25: 45
There is an growing epidemic going on in the world that is only getting larger. Today there are an estimated 163 million orphans and displaced children worldwide (some sources site as many as 210 million) and that number is growing by one orphan every 2 seconds. That is enough children to go around the world at the equator 3 times! That number is also greater than the population in all of Russia. This sad number doesn't even include the millions of children that are abandoned or sold/trafficked. Without assistance these orphans continue the cycle of poverty, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, prostitution and slavery that haunts developing countries. In Africa due to HIV/AIDS, the number of orphans is growing exponentially. Africa has by far the greatest proportion of children that are orphans while Asia has the largest number of orphans due to its population size. In Eastern Europe, less than 50% of the orphan population will live to see their 20th birthdays and of those that do survive, 50% will end up in organized crime, drugs, or prostitution. In Africa, homeless children are armed and used for war. In the US, 25,000 children will leave the foster care system without families and 25% of these foster children will become homeless. 56% of these emancipated foster care children in the U.S. enter the unemployment ranks. 27% of the emancipated male children in foster care end up in jail and 30% of the emancipated foster care females experience early parenthood. 30,000 children in foster care are dropped from the state system because they ran away. In the US, there are 500,000 children left in the foster system each year. California alone is home to 20% of the national total of foster care children, a percentage that is drastically much larger than any other state. 70% of prison inmates in the US are said to have spent some time in a foster home at one time. That makes every person's life affected by this horrible statistics either directly or indirectly.
“Whoever receives a child in My name, receives Me.” -Matthew 18:5
In Russia, there are over 3 million orphans and homeless children. 60% of Russian children are sick and 1.5 million Russian children are classified as "special needs". After leaving a Russian orphanage, 80% of the females become prostitutes, 40% of these children become addicted to drugs, 50% become incarcerated, and more than 10% end up committing suicide.
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." -Prov. 31:8
"Some studies have found that violence in residential institutions is six times higher than violence in foster care, and that children in group care are almost four times more likely to experience sexual abuse than children in family based care."
Every day 5,760 more children become orphans. Each day 38,493 orphans age out. An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked every year; 2 million children, the majority of them girls, are sexually exploited in the multibillion-dollar commercial sex industry. (THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2005)
In Russia, 25% of children live in institutionalized orphanages. China is home to millions of abandoned children, mostly girls, living in institutions across the country. These facilities lack heat, electricity, indoor plumbing and adequate laundry facilities. These institutions are often understaffed, overcrowded and under-resourced. Special needs children are especially underserved.
My heart breaks for these millions of children who deserve to feel loved and deserve to know about Jesus and the TRUE Father to the fatherless. Please pray for these children and that God will give them a better future with an opportunity to hear about His love for them; that God will continue to send more laborers out into His harvest, to share HIS love to these precious children. These statistics can be overwhelming, but nothing is too big for our God. He loves His children and wants them protected. As one person we may not be able to change the world, but we can change the world for one person. Change the world for the heart of that child who deserves to know and feel love. Adopt, foster, sponsor, counsel, mentor, lead, protect... most importantly LOVE HIS PRECIOUS CHILDREN.
Jesus said, "Let the children come to ME, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven". -Matt. 19:14
Amazing organizations that make a difference in their countries in the lives of orphans:
Russia: http://agaperu.org
Africa: http://www.empoweringlives.org
Sponsorships:
World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/sponsor-a-child?open&campaign=1193512&cmp=KNC-1193512
Gospel for Asia: http://www.gfa.org/sponsorachild/
Why Orphans? from World Orphans on Vimeo.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
WAIT on the Lord- Ps. 27
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter". -Martin Luther King Jr.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
I read a quote that touched my heart deeply during my devotion the other day, "What's your dream and to what corner of the mission's world will it take you?" That is a question I have now posted above my desk so that I can read and ponder it often.
"If missions languish, it is because the whole life of godliness is feeble. The command to go everywhere and preach to everybody is not obeyed until the will is lost by self-surrender in the will of God. Living, praying, giving, and going will always be found together." -Arthur T. Pierson
There have been many things on my heart lately as I prepare for the many opportunities to serve the Lord this year in ministries He's called me to and as my heart gets prepared for the major direction changes He's bringing. As I have spent much time in reflection and searching the Lord's direction for my life, one thing I have fought to come to a conclusion about is that I need to distinguish my will from the Lord's will so that as I conform my life more to Christ, His will becomes my will. When we choose to follow Christ, we are no longer our own, no longer of this world, no longer lord of our own lives... for our will died with our flesh when we chose to obey and follow Christ with our lives. We lay our lives down at the cross, surrendered and ready to go the direction the Lord wills, and to serve Him with all that we have, however and wherever that may take us.
"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for Him". -C.T. Studd
The reason for mission trips, is to grow closer to Jesus and to share Him with others. It's about evangelizing the lost and discipling the saved. "We are His workmanship" (Eph. 2:10)... we no longer serve ourselves, but the Holy and Mighty God, Creator of the world. I believe that's a huge part of serving the Lord: to be able to go anywhere, do anything, and lay down everything to serve Him, to follow His path and will for our lives. This has been one of my biggest prayers for years, yet also a part of me can honestly say, one of my biggest fears is what that may bring. Last weekend my pastor at church remarked about following the Lord as feeling like: "I'm willing God, I'm trembling and scared, but I'll go".
"Where You go, I'll go...Where You stay, I'll stay... I'll follow YOU."
"I have but one passion: it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ."
I pray so often that the Lord will help me to obey what He's calling me to do, because as He's revealing more and more His plan for me, the choices I have to make will not be easy. I pray He Strengthens me to advance His Kingdom and that it is only Him who is living and moving in me. Often times we can feel like we wish we knew what God was doing with our lives, for what purpose events are occurring, or better yet, where are You taking me Lord? Sometimes I wish I had the answers to these questions as well, to reason that, possibly it would be easier to follow if I knew where I was going. In being completely honest, would it really make anything easier? Or would it be more difficult to be obedient if we knew what trials or persecution await us in the future? Every time I read the Gospels, I am in awe that Jesus made the choices He did, to come to earth knowing what was awaiting Him. He freely chose to give His life and die that we might live and have everlasting life... knowing the persecution and hatred that would come, He still came, He still lived on this earth, and He still died on the cross for us, so that it would be finished. As His followers and as missionaries, how I wish that even my love for Him would easily compel me to make the same decision. To give up what He tells me to give up, to go where He calls me to go, to serve who He calls me to serve, and to love His people whom He's called me to love. Oh how I wish that were an easy decision... throughout the many lessons these past several years this has become easier, but it is still far from easy. How often do I drag my feet in "obedience" or deny having heard His voice or calling on my life or freely take in His blessings but not commands or how often do I even surrender back over to Him, His blessings that He's bestowed upon me, without calling them my "sacrifices to Him"?
With all of these struggles and questions filling my mind lately, I am so ever thankful that I can always find rest in my almighty, powerful Lord; He alone is my Comforter, Sovereign King, Abba Father, Jehovah Jireh and my true Refuge in times of struggle or pain. His joy comes in the morning, I don't need to lose heart because He has overcome the world; no matter who leaves or forsakes me, God will never leave me nor forsake me, He is my Rock and in Him alone, I find peace and hope in my soul.
"It is inconceivable that our Master would leave us to stand alone when we are standing for Him". -Amy Carmichael
"The word "forsake" conveys the idea of 'leaving comrades exposed to peril in the conflict, or forsaking them in some crisis of danger". Our Lord God, Provider and Protector, could NEVER do that. Even though we may be trembling at what He calls us to do, we never need to fear obeying the inward calling on our lives.
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me... no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand." -John 10:27,29
"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you... And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed". -Deut. 31:6,8
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
I read a quote that touched my heart deeply during my devotion the other day, "What's your dream and to what corner of the mission's world will it take you?" That is a question I have now posted above my desk so that I can read and ponder it often.
"If missions languish, it is because the whole life of godliness is feeble. The command to go everywhere and preach to everybody is not obeyed until the will is lost by self-surrender in the will of God. Living, praying, giving, and going will always be found together." -Arthur T. Pierson
There have been many things on my heart lately as I prepare for the many opportunities to serve the Lord this year in ministries He's called me to and as my heart gets prepared for the major direction changes He's bringing. As I have spent much time in reflection and searching the Lord's direction for my life, one thing I have fought to come to a conclusion about is that I need to distinguish my will from the Lord's will so that as I conform my life more to Christ, His will becomes my will. When we choose to follow Christ, we are no longer our own, no longer of this world, no longer lord of our own lives... for our will died with our flesh when we chose to obey and follow Christ with our lives. We lay our lives down at the cross, surrendered and ready to go the direction the Lord wills, and to serve Him with all that we have, however and wherever that may take us.
"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for Him". -C.T. Studd
The reason for mission trips, is to grow closer to Jesus and to share Him with others. It's about evangelizing the lost and discipling the saved. "We are His workmanship" (Eph. 2:10)... we no longer serve ourselves, but the Holy and Mighty God, Creator of the world. I believe that's a huge part of serving the Lord: to be able to go anywhere, do anything, and lay down everything to serve Him, to follow His path and will for our lives. This has been one of my biggest prayers for years, yet also a part of me can honestly say, one of my biggest fears is what that may bring. Last weekend my pastor at church remarked about following the Lord as feeling like: "I'm willing God, I'm trembling and scared, but I'll go".
"Where You go, I'll go...Where You stay, I'll stay... I'll follow YOU."
"I have but one passion: it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ."
I pray so often that the Lord will help me to obey what He's calling me to do, because as He's revealing more and more His plan for me, the choices I have to make will not be easy. I pray He Strengthens me to advance His Kingdom and that it is only Him who is living and moving in me. Often times we can feel like we wish we knew what God was doing with our lives, for what purpose events are occurring, or better yet, where are You taking me Lord? Sometimes I wish I had the answers to these questions as well, to reason that, possibly it would be easier to follow if I knew where I was going. In being completely honest, would it really make anything easier? Or would it be more difficult to be obedient if we knew what trials or persecution await us in the future? Every time I read the Gospels, I am in awe that Jesus made the choices He did, to come to earth knowing what was awaiting Him. He freely chose to give His life and die that we might live and have everlasting life... knowing the persecution and hatred that would come, He still came, He still lived on this earth, and He still died on the cross for us, so that it would be finished. As His followers and as missionaries, how I wish that even my love for Him would easily compel me to make the same decision. To give up what He tells me to give up, to go where He calls me to go, to serve who He calls me to serve, and to love His people whom He's called me to love. Oh how I wish that were an easy decision... throughout the many lessons these past several years this has become easier, but it is still far from easy. How often do I drag my feet in "obedience" or deny having heard His voice or calling on my life or freely take in His blessings but not commands or how often do I even surrender back over to Him, His blessings that He's bestowed upon me, without calling them my "sacrifices to Him"?
With all of these struggles and questions filling my mind lately, I am so ever thankful that I can always find rest in my almighty, powerful Lord; He alone is my Comforter, Sovereign King, Abba Father, Jehovah Jireh and my true Refuge in times of struggle or pain. His joy comes in the morning, I don't need to lose heart because He has overcome the world; no matter who leaves or forsakes me, God will never leave me nor forsake me, He is my Rock and in Him alone, I find peace and hope in my soul.
"It is inconceivable that our Master would leave us to stand alone when we are standing for Him". -Amy Carmichael
"The word "forsake" conveys the idea of 'leaving comrades exposed to peril in the conflict, or forsaking them in some crisis of danger". Our Lord God, Provider and Protector, could NEVER do that. Even though we may be trembling at what He calls us to do, we never need to fear obeying the inward calling on our lives.
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me... no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand." -John 10:27,29
"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you... And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed". -Deut. 31:6,8
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sanctity of Life
"Speak up for those you cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." -Prov. 31:8
January is National Sanctity of Life month and upon reflection, has stirred up several studies regarding issues very, very close to my heart. The following are some notes from my ongoing studies and from sermons at my church this month in honor of the millions of babies that are now in heaven and trying to advocate for the sanctity of life in the future.
"But Jesus called for them, saying, 'Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." -Luke 18:16
"Since when does anyone's right to live depend upon someone else wanting them? Killing the unwanted, is a monstrous evil . . ." "The pivotal question is, should any civilized nation give to one citizen the absolute right to kill another to solve the first person's personal problem?" -John Wilke, National Right to Life
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be." -Psalm 139:13-16
$11 every second are spent by tax payers to fund abortions in the US. Since 1973, over 50,000,000 babies have been killed in America. It's a staggering epidemic in a country that could legalize and sanction the killing of babies. People often argue "when does life begin?" The problem with that question is ignoring the bigger questions of "when does/doesn't life have value?" and "when does life no longer have meaning?" This happens when we choose that what we want is more important than what God has engineered.
"Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” -Jer. 1:4-5
"What then could I do when God arises? And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him? Did not He who made me in the womb make him, And the same one fashion us in the womb?" -Job 31:14-15
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men." -John 1:1-4
"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” -Gen. 1:27-28
"That child... is a gift from God...Don't ever allow even one child, born or unborn to be unwanted... An incredible poverty exists today. Unborn children are aborted because they are unwanted. Children die in their mother's wombs because they are unwanted. A nation that allows abortion is a very poor one." -Mother Teresa
Thankfully, we read in Scripture that even if a mother should forsake her child, God will not forsake them. He has them in the palm of His hand (that is a very safe place to be)!!! Similarly, we also read that if we admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Those are beautiful promises to hold on to- it's never too late to do the right thing or to repent and ask for forgiveness!!
Recently I read about the story of a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of considering abortion. More than 24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were serving as Christian missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant. Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety (even though abortions were illegal in the Philippines) and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities the physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue.
While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a preacher.
Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.
The University of Florida’s star quarterback became the first sophomore in history to win college football’s highest award, the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah. Just this Monday after Tim Tebow wins against the Steelers in OT with 316 passing yards with the reference John 3:16 written on his eye-black, John 3:16 was the #1 Google search of the day.
Tim’s notoriety and the family’s inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women’s centers across the country. Pam Tebow believes that every little baby you save matters. I pray her tribe will increase!!
These are some amazing videos shown several times at our church, yet they never cease to make me say, "WOW":
For resources:
Alternate Avenues 24 hr helpline 888-395-HELP; http://www.alternateavenues.net/
A Woman's Care Center 24 hr helpline(909) 544-2723; http://awomenscarecenter.org/
Choices Helpline: (909) 258-9272; http://optionminded.com/default.aspx
January is National Sanctity of Life month and upon reflection, has stirred up several studies regarding issues very, very close to my heart. The following are some notes from my ongoing studies and from sermons at my church this month in honor of the millions of babies that are now in heaven and trying to advocate for the sanctity of life in the future.
"But Jesus called for them, saying, 'Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." -Luke 18:16
"Since when does anyone's right to live depend upon someone else wanting them? Killing the unwanted, is a monstrous evil . . ." "The pivotal question is, should any civilized nation give to one citizen the absolute right to kill another to solve the first person's personal problem?" -John Wilke, National Right to Life
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be." -Psalm 139:13-16
$11 every second are spent by tax payers to fund abortions in the US. Since 1973, over 50,000,000 babies have been killed in America. It's a staggering epidemic in a country that could legalize and sanction the killing of babies. People often argue "when does life begin?" The problem with that question is ignoring the bigger questions of "when does/doesn't life have value?" and "when does life no longer have meaning?" This happens when we choose that what we want is more important than what God has engineered.
"Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” -Jer. 1:4-5
"What then could I do when God arises? And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him? Did not He who made me in the womb make him, And the same one fashion us in the womb?" -Job 31:14-15
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men." -John 1:1-4
"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” -Gen. 1:27-28
"That child... is a gift from God...Don't ever allow even one child, born or unborn to be unwanted... An incredible poverty exists today. Unborn children are aborted because they are unwanted. Children die in their mother's wombs because they are unwanted. A nation that allows abortion is a very poor one." -Mother Teresa
Thankfully, we read in Scripture that even if a mother should forsake her child, God will not forsake them. He has them in the palm of His hand (that is a very safe place to be)!!! Similarly, we also read that if we admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Those are beautiful promises to hold on to- it's never too late to do the right thing or to repent and ask for forgiveness!!
Recently I read about the story of a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of considering abortion. More than 24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were serving as Christian missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant. Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety (even though abortions were illegal in the Philippines) and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities the physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue.
While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a preacher.
Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.
The University of Florida’s star quarterback became the first sophomore in history to win college football’s highest award, the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah. Just this Monday after Tim Tebow wins against the Steelers in OT with 316 passing yards with the reference John 3:16 written on his eye-black, John 3:16 was the #1 Google search of the day.
Tim’s notoriety and the family’s inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women’s centers across the country. Pam Tebow believes that every little baby you save matters. I pray her tribe will increase!!
These are some amazing videos shown several times at our church, yet they never cease to make me say, "WOW":
For resources:
Alternate Avenues 24 hr helpline 888-395-HELP; http://www.alternateavenues.net/
A Woman's Care Center 24 hr helpline(909) 544-2723; http://awomenscarecenter.org/
Choices Helpline: (909) 258-9272; http://optionminded.com/default.aspx
Friday, December 23, 2011
Waiting and Trusting
"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him" Ps. 37:7a
One of my favorite things to do is read missionary bios and quotes. These are some very random thoughts, that are also some of my favorites quotes that give a picture of the things that are weighing heavy on my heart lately. As this year comes to a close and thoughts of plans for next year begin to surface, even as worry and fear attempt to rear their ugly heads, I find so much comfort knowing that fellow Christian missionaries have struggled through some of the same thoughts and passions. As I prepare my heart for the mission opportunities coming next year, I'm so thankful to serve a God that is so compassionate, strong, and my true Refuge. My love for Him stirs me to worship and service. In this life, no matter where we're placed in this world, we're definitely never alone- we always carry the love of God in our hearts. He blesses us, so that we can be a blessing to others. Missions will continue to be necessary until God's name has been preached to the ends of the earth. Missions, as is any service to God, is a free act of the will, in servitude to God, to bring glory and honor to His name. Until every tribe, tongue, and nation can worship the LORD, missions is a necessary vehicle to bring and proclaim the Gospel and make disciples. Lately this has been a huge tug on my heart. There are those who refuse the Gospel and that Jesus died for their sins and don't want Him as their Lord and Savior... but what about those who have never heard and have never been given that choice? Who's Jesus to them? Who's interceding for them? Who's showing them the true God of Love? For that matter, who's loving them?
"Cast your burden on the LORD,And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." -Ps. 55:22
"What would I do with starry crowns except to cast them at His feet?"- Mary Slessor
"God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies." -J. Hudson Taylor
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." -C.T. Studd
"We talk of the second coming, half the world has never heard of the first." -Oswald J. Smith
"We must be global Christians, with a global mission, because our God is a global God." - John Stott
"If God has fit you to be a missionary, I would not have you shrivel down to be a king." -Charles H. Spurgeon
"Brother, if you would enter that Province, you must go forward on your knees." -J. Hudson Taylor
"Why do we insist on building the largest and most impressive structures in our city when people on the other side of town are hungry, jobless and worshipping in storefronts?" -K.P. Yohannan
"I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China…I don't know who it was…It must have been a man…a well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing…and God looked down…and saw Gladys Aylward…And God said - "Well, she's willing."
- Gladys Aylward
"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." -1 Thess. 5:24
One of my favorite things to do is read missionary bios and quotes. These are some very random thoughts, that are also some of my favorites quotes that give a picture of the things that are weighing heavy on my heart lately. As this year comes to a close and thoughts of plans for next year begin to surface, even as worry and fear attempt to rear their ugly heads, I find so much comfort knowing that fellow Christian missionaries have struggled through some of the same thoughts and passions. As I prepare my heart for the mission opportunities coming next year, I'm so thankful to serve a God that is so compassionate, strong, and my true Refuge. My love for Him stirs me to worship and service. In this life, no matter where we're placed in this world, we're definitely never alone- we always carry the love of God in our hearts. He blesses us, so that we can be a blessing to others. Missions will continue to be necessary until God's name has been preached to the ends of the earth. Missions, as is any service to God, is a free act of the will, in servitude to God, to bring glory and honor to His name. Until every tribe, tongue, and nation can worship the LORD, missions is a necessary vehicle to bring and proclaim the Gospel and make disciples. Lately this has been a huge tug on my heart. There are those who refuse the Gospel and that Jesus died for their sins and don't want Him as their Lord and Savior... but what about those who have never heard and have never been given that choice? Who's Jesus to them? Who's interceding for them? Who's showing them the true God of Love? For that matter, who's loving them?
"Cast your burden on the LORD,And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." -Ps. 55:22
"What would I do with starry crowns except to cast them at His feet?"- Mary Slessor
"God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies." -J. Hudson Taylor
"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." -C.T. Studd
"We talk of the second coming, half the world has never heard of the first." -Oswald J. Smith
"We must be global Christians, with a global mission, because our God is a global God." - John Stott
"If God has fit you to be a missionary, I would not have you shrivel down to be a king." -Charles H. Spurgeon
"Brother, if you would enter that Province, you must go forward on your knees." -J. Hudson Taylor
"Why do we insist on building the largest and most impressive structures in our city when people on the other side of town are hungry, jobless and worshipping in storefronts?" -K.P. Yohannan
"I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China…I don't know who it was…It must have been a man…a well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing…and God looked down…and saw Gladys Aylward…And God said - "Well, she's willing."
- Gladys Aylward
"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." -1 Thess. 5:24
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
God is love
Some things that are heavy on my heart this month...
God does not have to come and tell me what I must do for Him, He brings me into a relationship with Himself where I hear His call and understand what He wants me to do, and I do it out of sheer love to Him... When people say they have had a call to foreign service, or to any particular sphere of work, they mean that their relationship to God has enabled them to realize what they "can do for God."
- Oswald Chambers
'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.
-William Booth
Some interesting thoughts from an article I read today...
"There is the command, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." We say,"That means other people." There is the promise, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." We say, "That means me." We must have a special divine indication that we fall under the command; we do not ask any special divine indication that we fall under the blessing. By what right do we draw this line of distinction between the obligations of Christianity and its privileges? By what right do we accept the privileges as applying to every Christian and relegate its obligations to the conscience of the few?
If I were standing by the bank of a stream, and some little children were drowning, I would not need any officer of the law to come along and serve on me some legal paper commanding me under such and such a penalty to rescue those children. I should despise myself if I should stand there with the possibility of saving those little lives, waiting until, by some legal proceeding, I was personally designated to rescue them!
Seeing a need and realizing God has prepared you to meet that need. “Every one of us rests under a sort of general obligation to give life and time and possession to the evangelization of the souls everywhere that have never heard of Jesus Christ. And we are bound to go, unless we can offer some sure ground of exemption which we could with a clear conscience present to Jesus Christ and be sure of His approval upon it.
"We have taken our lives in our own hands and proposed to go our own way unless God compels us to go some other way. What I ask is that, until God reveals to us some special, individual path on either side, we should give our lives over into Jesus' hands to go in that path which He has clearly marked out before His church."
"I think love will hear calls where the loveless heart will not know that they are sounding. If there were a hundred little children crying, a mother would be able to pick out the voices of her own - especially if they were voices of pain and suffering.
There is a mighty keenness in the ears of love, and I wonder, after all, whether that may not explain a great deal that one is perplexed over in this matter of a special missionary call. Is it possible that, in many cases, it is just a matter of a callused heart, a reluctant will, or a sealed mind?
God so loved the world that He gave. It was need in the world plus love in God that constituted a call for Jesus. Do we need more than what sufficed for Him? If they were our own, would we hesitate and hold back?"
"While vast continents are shrouded in darkness... the burden of proof lies upon you to show that the circumstances in which God has placed you were meant by God to keep you out of the foreign mission field."- Ion Keith-Falconer
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't.
John Piper
And thus I aspire to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named so that I would not build on another man's foundation.
Paul
Answering a student's question, 'Will the heathen who have not heard the Gospel be saved?' thus, 'It is more a question with me whether we, who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not, can be saved.'
C.H. Spurgeon.
If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.
C.T. Studd
God does not have to come and tell me what I must do for Him, He brings me into a relationship with Himself where I hear His call and understand what He wants me to do, and I do it out of sheer love to Him... When people say they have had a call to foreign service, or to any particular sphere of work, they mean that their relationship to God has enabled them to realize what they "can do for God."
- Oswald Chambers
'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.
-William Booth
Some interesting thoughts from an article I read today...
"There is the command, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." We say,"That means other people." There is the promise, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." We say, "That means me." We must have a special divine indication that we fall under the command; we do not ask any special divine indication that we fall under the blessing. By what right do we draw this line of distinction between the obligations of Christianity and its privileges? By what right do we accept the privileges as applying to every Christian and relegate its obligations to the conscience of the few?
If I were standing by the bank of a stream, and some little children were drowning, I would not need any officer of the law to come along and serve on me some legal paper commanding me under such and such a penalty to rescue those children. I should despise myself if I should stand there with the possibility of saving those little lives, waiting until, by some legal proceeding, I was personally designated to rescue them!
Seeing a need and realizing God has prepared you to meet that need. “Every one of us rests under a sort of general obligation to give life and time and possession to the evangelization of the souls everywhere that have never heard of Jesus Christ. And we are bound to go, unless we can offer some sure ground of exemption which we could with a clear conscience present to Jesus Christ and be sure of His approval upon it.
"We have taken our lives in our own hands and proposed to go our own way unless God compels us to go some other way. What I ask is that, until God reveals to us some special, individual path on either side, we should give our lives over into Jesus' hands to go in that path which He has clearly marked out before His church."
"I think love will hear calls where the loveless heart will not know that they are sounding. If there were a hundred little children crying, a mother would be able to pick out the voices of her own - especially if they were voices of pain and suffering.
There is a mighty keenness in the ears of love, and I wonder, after all, whether that may not explain a great deal that one is perplexed over in this matter of a special missionary call. Is it possible that, in many cases, it is just a matter of a callused heart, a reluctant will, or a sealed mind?
God so loved the world that He gave. It was need in the world plus love in God that constituted a call for Jesus. Do we need more than what sufficed for Him? If they were our own, would we hesitate and hold back?"
"While vast continents are shrouded in darkness... the burden of proof lies upon you to show that the circumstances in which God has placed you were meant by God to keep you out of the foreign mission field."- Ion Keith-Falconer
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't.
John Piper
And thus I aspire to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named so that I would not build on another man's foundation.
Paul
Answering a student's question, 'Will the heathen who have not heard the Gospel be saved?' thus, 'It is more a question with me whether we, who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not, can be saved.'
C.H. Spurgeon.
If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.
C.T. Studd
Monday, October 10, 2011
25th birthday, Kenya style!
I could not of asked for a more blessed birthday than to spend my "quarter of a century" birthday on the continent I love, in Africa where my heart is, on a safari I've only ever dreamed about, feeding giraffes (one of my biggest dreams come true) and serving the Lord on a missions trip which is the greatest privilege of all.
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