Thursday, April 19, 2012

Detours

“By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).


Abraham was called by God to something greater than he would ever comprehend (remind you of Ephesians 3:21?). As a man of faith, he obeyed and was blessed. On his journey, he built alters to worship and renew his relationship with God. The apostle Paul went so far as to say because of his faith, he was a righteous man in God’s eyes.

Like Abraham, we too are called in a unique way; but in our  obedience, do we truly trust God through the unknowns, or do we take matters into our own hands? “When we detour or delay our obedience, we forget God and the promises we’ve made, and we start looking at circumstances.” (Michael Catt).

Abraham was not perfect and neither are we. Neither Sarai (soon to be Sarah) nor Abram (soon to be Abraham) fully understood or trusted how God’s promise for a child was to be fulfilled. In their desire for the promised outcome, they decided to take matters into their own hands. We all know the rest of the story, but suffice it to say, we all make mistakes, and most of the time it seems we chose to rely on ourselves instead of relying on God. When we decide to do things our way, yes we may be able to get things done, and do them well, but we are using our finite minds and bodies, instead of relying on the infinite wisdom, creativity, and ability of Jehovah.  Trust and INTER-dependence on someone, much less someone not seen is so counterintuitive to our culture. We want to be safe and productive, and the only way it seems to get things done is to rely on ourselves. Detour!

During our time of developing relationships and finding partners, there have been several occasions when we have tried to take things into our own hands. We spend a lot of time and effort, and we don’t see the fruits of our labor. Our prayer life gets distracted, our emotions get too involved, and our faith gets left behind. Finally it ends with all of the plans WE made crashing down in failure.  BUT, once we abandon our way of doing things and return to seeking the Kingdom of God first (a very good analogy of repentance), things seem to smooth out and become more stable. Does this mean we sit back and let God do everything?  Absolutely not! It takes dedication, time, and effort into uncovering and following the will of God. Luke 14:26-33 reminds to daily take up our cross to follow him; otherwise, our lives will be one detour after another on the path to obedience.

As Kevin and I reflect on our calling, we are excited to see what the Lord has in store for us in Africa. However, we realize that our ministry with MAF might not actually be our final destination, but a necessary stepping stone to the place where God is bringing us. Because we cannot see the future, we do not know where our journey will take us, we only know this is the beginning of the road God has set before us. Could the Father have called us to a permanent career with MAF? Please let it be! But His will be done, not ours. We need to realize our calling belongs to the Lord. We have been privileged to join a wonderful organization, however we don't work for-but THROUGH MAF, a tool of His which helps share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A Time For Giving Thanks!

Boy, being pregnant sure brings out my emotional side! But lucky for me, it also brings humility in my prayers. I once heard someone say, what if God only gave you tomorrow what you thanked Him for the day before? Wow! So, I want to share with you what I have to be thankful for right this moment!

I thank God for my soul mate – my husband. A man who is my best friend and who is willing to listen to any emotional rants and crazy ideas I may have. A man who will soon become a father and will walk with me during my struggles.
I thank God for our current pregnancy. Every day, our little girl grows larger, stronger, and more ready to come into this world. I thank God for this blessing for the special child He has chosen for us to raise to love Him and His Holy word.
I thank God for all of our basic necessities that are being met. We have a roof over our heads, clothes on our back, shoes on our feet, and food in our stomachs. So many people in this world do without these things in life and I am grateful to God that we have been blessed with what we have.
I thank God for my lifelines. I have a loving family that includes my in-laws. I have so many friends in my life that care about me. I have a network of church family that is always there for me. I am richly blessed with people caring people in my life.
I thank God for my call to missions. Everyone is part of the Body of Christ and has a special call to missions. You might be the hands who help others, you might be the knees that bow to pray for those sent, you might be the head that supports with finances, but you are definitely called.
I thank God for His support of our calling. Over our last 8 months of fundraising, He has placed (and is placing) many people in our lives who He wants to partner with us in our mission. Without God, we would not be 86% funded at this current point and have over 115 prayer partners!

What have you thanked God for today?