I hope everyone is having a great day! I woke up thanking God today for another breathe sometimes i think about that for a while like just how much of a blessing it is just to wake up another day, and when i think about things like this i just think man, other people should know about how awesome it is for everyday to feel like your waking up to God's Grace, for keeping us alive. As you read my blog for today i just want you to think about your heart where is it? Are you investing in something, have 401k, do you own a home, college degree, have a good job, etc...? Now when you look back and think about that, and those things how many times have you thanked God for these things? All these things are blessings on this world, but in Heaven they mean nothing because HE gets all the glory!, so when you think about these things remember life's about so much more than a pretty nice car, or a good salary. I'd honestly rather have a job that doesn't make much than one that i make so much that i have so much extra money i waste it. Is it weird that I'd rather rely on God for my finances and I'd rather have a steady job with good job security than the best paying job out there? I just want to make enough money to support myself and my family all the left over money is a blessing not a profit!! Just a thought... Moving On!
Okay........So.........
I was reading through a devotional called my utmost for his highest today in my dorm room and i came across days october 26th and october 27th. In other words yesterday and today and i noticed it was touching on missions this is what it had to say about it.
"Jesus said to them again, '...As the Father has sent me, I also send you'" (John 20:21).
A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as he was sent by God. The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in our service for God is behind us, not ahead of us. The tendency today is to put the inspiration out in front--to sweep everything together in front of us and make it conform to our definition of success. But in the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, and is the Lord Jesus Himself. The goal is to be true to him--to carry out his plans!! Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and to his perspective is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary work the great danger is that God's call will be replaced by the needs of people, to the point that human sympathy for those needs will absolutely overwhelm the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, and the conditions so difficult, that every power of the mind falters and fails. We tend to forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary work is not primarily the elevation of people, their education, nor their needs, but is first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ-"God therefore and make disciples of all the nations..." (Matthew 28:19). When looking back on the lives of men and women of God, the tendency is to say, "What wonderfully keen and intelligent wisdom they had, and how perfectly they understood all that God wanted!" But the keen and intelligent mind behind them was the mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the divine guidance of God being exhibited through childlike people who were "foolish" enough to trust God's wisdom and His supernatural equipment.
Wow! i love the way this is put! this is the section for yesterday! man like when you look at missions some people look at it so wrong. Tell me this personally i have a problem with some churches because of this... Some churches will have $2,000 to $500,000 or more in their cemetery fund and memorial funds, and tell their youth programs to go out and do fund raisers while the churches aren't supporting their youth group at all or next to none... Some churches like this have more life in their cemetery than in their people... because of no outreach! i understand it's nice to have flowers on daddy's and grandaddy's grave that's great! but not at the cost of outreach and ministry! Church is not all about outreach but it is a command not a suggestion!! The great commission for me tells me to GO therefore and make disciples of all the nations not welllllll maybe if you want to then you possiblyyyyy if it's fun for you go and maybe tell people about Jesus NOOO it says GO therefore and make!!However at the same time there's a method to this madness in the devotion for today October 27th it says...
Jesus Christ did not say, "Go and save souls", (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but he said "God... make disciples of all the nations...". Yet you cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself. When the disciples returned from their first mission, they were filled with joy because even the demons were subject to them. But Jesus said, in effect, "Don't rejoice in successful service--the great secret of joy is that you have the right relationship with Me" (see Luke 10:17-20). The missionary's great essential is remaining true to the call of God, and realizing that his one and only purpose is to disciple men and women to Jesus. Remember that there is a passion for souls that doesn't come from God, but from our desire to make converts to our point of view. The challenge to the missionary doesn't come from the fact that people are difficult to bring to salvation, that backsliders are difficult to reclaim, or that there is a barrier of callous indifference. No, the challenge comes from the perspective of the missionary's own personal relationship with Jesus Christ--"Do you believe that i am able to do this?" (Matthew 9:28). Our Lord unwaveringly asks us that question, and it confronts us in every individual situation we encounter. The one great challenge to us is--do i know my risen Lord? Do i know the power of His indwelling Spirit? Am i wise enough in God's sight, but foolish enough according to the wisdom of the world, or trust in what Jesus Christ has said? Or am i abandoning the great supernatural position of limitless confidence in Christ Jesus, which is really God's only call for missionary? If i follow and other method, I depart altogether from the methods prescribed by our Lord--"All authority has been given to Me...God therefore..." (Matthew 28:18-19).
Wow again! just love these two devotions! he did not tell us to go and save souls! we can NOT do that only he can! however as Christians in general we are all called to plant the seeds in people. It's up to God to do the healing, help with growing, and most importantly the saving!!
Just wanted to share that for today i hope everyone is having a blessed day! I know i am! MAN God is good! (Luke 1:37). If there's someone you've been praying about for years and they still haven't came to the Lord look up that verse it's Luke 1:37. When you think of giving up not trying anymore, you think about that verse! Sometimes God may say Yes, No, or Not right now. but he always answers our prayers!!
Until next time,
- Adam Bryant
Psalms 37:4
Luke 1:37
