I just came back from a few days at a Christian University, meeting with students, and I’m noticing a common theme in the conversations that I’m having with them. The statement that I consistently here when discussing missions is, “I’m just not sure that I’m “called” to missions.” It seems many are looking and waiting for a “second call” in addition to the call of Christ in Matthew 28 to make disciples of all nations. My fear is that many will stay in the states because they are waiting for an experience outside of what is found in Scripture. The Great Commission is reason enough! We may or may not end up overseas, the Great Commission can be fulfilled anywhere, but we can't wait for a "writing on the wall experience" to GO somewhere that is unfamiliar. Like any other decision in life, we pray and ask God in Faith for wisdom and for strength to obey wherever he directs. Let me add here, that I, in NO WAY have this all figured out, nor am I always obedient to the mandate of the Great Commission. I am a big mess, but I’m learning a few things along the way…
Questions to consider:
Am I being obedient to where God has me now?
Am I open to him uprooting me and sending me to another country even if that is alone?
What if he directs me to stay right here? Will I be okay with that?
What am I doing now to prepare me for what He has for me later? Am I a shining light where he has me now?
Am I involved in my local church?
Is there sin in my life that I need to address?
Are there things from my past that I have run away from that I need to face? these things will no doubt come out on the mission field!
Some advise:
ABIDE in Christ. To be like him is the goal. Don’t make missions and idol. He is to be what we seek and run after. Don’t make direction an idol. We consume ourselves so often with needing to know the future. That’s not how God works. Trust him and be obedient TODAY.
PRAY. Ask God for wisdom. Pray IN FAITH, without doubting, that he’ll respond.
FIND a local church involved in missions and get involved.
FIND a mentor. Someone older and spiritually mature who will come along you in your journey. You might have to ask for one.
DO Something. Sometimes all the options are overwhelming, but don’t let this paralyze you. Do something. Move forward in prayer in a certain direction. Don’t be so fearful of making the wrong choice. If God doesn’t want you to do it, He’ll shut the door. He is that big.
LEARN to be flexible and open to the Lord’s calling
UNDERSTAND how support raising is Biblical. An article I just read on this... http://www.thetravelingteam.org/node/263
CONSIDER taking Perspectives http://www.perspectives.org/
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Lessons from Philippians
-He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion—Do I believe that His Holy Spirit is at work in me?
-pray for those who partner with you in the gospel—Am I faithful in praying for my brothers and sisters in Christ?
-suffering serves to advance the gospel –Do I suffer well, with an attitude that my suffering can be used to advance the gospel?
-to live is Christ, to die is gain—Do I believe this? Do I live in this way?
-whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel—Is my life conducted in a way that’s worthy of the gospel?
-do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself – Do I act in humility or selfish ambition?
-your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus, a humble servant—Is my attitude in all things like Jesus?
-work out your salvation with fear and trembling. God works in you to act according to his purpose—Am I working out my salvation?
-do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you might shine like stars to the universe—How often am I found complaining?
-Watch out for evil men
-Do not put confidence in the flesh- How often do I trust in my own abilities, rather then relying on the righteousness of Christ?
-Everything is a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus—Do I really believe that? What things am I holding on to?
-Press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
-Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead—Am I still focused on the sins of my past or am I living in the forgiveness of Christ?
Many live as enemies of the cross, watch for them
Rejoice in the Lord always. –Am I rejoicing in the Lord…always?
Let your gentleness be evident to all- is this true of me?
Do not be anxious about anything- What am I anxious about?
In everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God- Am I praying with thanksigiving?
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
A woman who fears the Lord...
I read this post below recently on John Piper's website, Desiring God, and was immediately convicted. I long to be a woman who fears the Lord, but I confess that often this is not the case. The name of my blog, "Laugh at the days to come," comes from verse 25 of Psalm 31 and yet one of my weaknesses throughout my life has been that of worry. A woman who fears the Lord has no room for it, she laughs at what is to come. "Oh Lord, help my unbelief! teach me to be a woman that trusts you, my Almighty Shepherd, and fears you because you are worth it."
First, a woman who fears the Lord is not anxious about the future. Look at verse 25. I love this line, and I praise all you women who are like this: "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." Satan dangles in front of her the specter of tomorrow's troubles, but she glances up at the almighty God at her right hand (her magnificent German Shepherd!) and laughs at Satan's folly.
Second, the woman who fears the Lord has practical wisdom. Verse 26, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." We've been taught from grade school on that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10), so it's no surprise that the woman who fears the Lord "opens her mouth with wisdom."
Third, the woman who fears the Lord is strong. Verse 25, "Strength and dignity are her clothing." Verse 17, "She girds her loins with strength and makes her arms strong." She will be morally strong. Proverbs 23:17 says, "Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day." The woman who continues in the fear of the Lord will have power to resist all the allurements to envy, to desire what she shouldn't have.
Fourth, a woman who fears the Lord will live not for herself alone but for others, especially her husband, if she is married. Verses 11, 12, "The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm all the days of her life." A woman who fears the Lord will not squander the family's livelihood on frivolous purchases, but will have the complete trust of her husband because she is for him and not against him.
First, a woman who fears the Lord is not anxious about the future. Look at verse 25. I love this line, and I praise all you women who are like this: "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." Satan dangles in front of her the specter of tomorrow's troubles, but she glances up at the almighty God at her right hand (her magnificent German Shepherd!) and laughs at Satan's folly.
Second, the woman who fears the Lord has practical wisdom. Verse 26, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." We've been taught from grade school on that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10), so it's no surprise that the woman who fears the Lord "opens her mouth with wisdom."
Third, the woman who fears the Lord is strong. Verse 25, "Strength and dignity are her clothing." Verse 17, "She girds her loins with strength and makes her arms strong." She will be morally strong. Proverbs 23:17 says, "Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day." The woman who continues in the fear of the Lord will have power to resist all the allurements to envy, to desire what she shouldn't have.
Fourth, a woman who fears the Lord will live not for herself alone but for others, especially her husband, if she is married. Verses 11, 12, "The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm all the days of her life." A woman who fears the Lord will not squander the family's livelihood on frivolous purchases, but will have the complete trust of her husband because she is for him and not against him.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Wait
Psa. 27:14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.
Hurry’s enemy
Hurry’s enemy
Satan’s torment
God’s design
Linger.....
Linger.....
Linger.....
and wait
Gaze attentively at the masters hand
confusion disappears
fear dies
fear dies
Anger subsides
mistakes exposed
wounds heal
Hope birthed
Joy returns
annointing imparted
direction given
wounds heal
Hope birthed
Joy returns
annointing imparted
direction given
Strength renewed
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Psalm 16:11
" You make known to me cthe path of life;
in your presence there is dfullness of joy;
at your right hand are epleasures forevermore."
Psalm 16:11
“Fullness of joy.” This is the phrase that has stood out to me while memorizing this verse. It’s easy to have fullness of joy when things are going our way, but what about when they’re not? Can joy still be found? In James 1:2-4 it says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I understand that we’re to consider trials joy because of what they are producing in us, but let’s be honest that is not necessarily an easy thing when we are walking down a difficult road. So, how can we find joy when we’re hurting?
Galations 5:22 mentions joy as a fruit of the spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” The fruits of the spirit can only be produced when we remain attached to the true vine, Jesus Christ.
In John 15, Jesus tells His disciples to abide in Him. He mentions in John 15:5 that if we remain in him and him in us, we will bear much fruit—Joy being one of them. John15:11, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” It is only possible for us to have the fullness of joy that He describes when we abide in Him. We can’t try to muster it up on our own strength, it has to come from remaining in him when life is good and when it seems bad. Apart from him we can’t do it.
So, I can conclude that “in His presence, an intimate relationship of abiding in Christ, I can find joy even in the dark hour of my soul. At his right hand pleasures forevermore.” In God's presence there are pleasures that can't be counted and can't be found anywhere else in anyone else. When we are in his presence forevermore our joy will abound and abound. The joy of knowing what Christ has done for us so we may enjoy his presence now and one day even more intimately is our strength today (Nehemiah 8:10). He has told us all these things so that his joy may be in us and that our joy may be complete (John 15:11).
Help me, Father, to remain always in you so that life’s circumstances do not wrip me of my joy. Give me a joyful spirit that outshines my circumstances so that others will want the joy you bring too.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Beauty in the Broken
"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."—Isaiah 61:3.
I grew up in a very Godly, wonderful home. I am truly grateful for my parents and the truths they empowered me with. But because of my strong, Godly heritage, I quickly learned how to say all the right things, use all the appropriate scripture and argue to death theological points all the while keeping the painful brokeness of my heart inside. Instead of acknowledging certain disappointments and feelings to God or to others, I often find myself telling Him and myself, “I’m fine, I have it under control.” (Like He doesn’t already know I’m a mess!) When insecurities creep in and I find I am not satisfied in Christ completely then it means I am not trusting him for my life …. and that’s true. This bothers me and I often don’t want to admit it. After so many years of walking with Him, shouldn’t I be in a different place? Am I still struggling with the same thorn? By actually going to the deep places, my tiny faith is addressed. Ironically, that is right where He wants me; broken and in humble acknowledgment of where I lack trust. "Lord, help my unbelief! (Mark 9:24) I know that my faith is not as strong as it should be. James 4: 10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” His promise is to lift me up when I come to him humbly. It’s painful to address how far I haven’t come in my faith, but it’s when going there, that I realize the lengths and depths of Christ’s love for me. Romans 5:8 says, “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” I can’t even wrap my mind around that. Not when I got it together, not when I made all the right choices, not when my faith was perfect, but while I was a complete, utter, sinful mess; Christ died for me. Could I be loved anymore?
One of my closest friends battled cancer for several years before Jesus called her home. She lived her brief life with great purpose and taught me well how to be honest with struggles, yet hopeful in affliction. While struggling with cancer, many aspects of her faith were addressed, but she humbly handed God her broken pieces and she let Him be strong for her. It was beautiful to watch. Although God did not choose to heal her physically on earth, he made her extra beautiful as she prepared to see him face to face. Because she let him. In this fallen world, disappointments will continue to come and our small faith will continue to question God’s goodness. Isn’t it in the realization of our weak faith that we are made aware of our great need for a loving God? A God who is big enough and strong enough to handle our questions, doubts, anger and insecurities? There is great comfort and joy in following Jesus. He sees our mess and loves us more then we could begin to imagine!
God is teaching me to be honest with him in my hurt and humble in the things I still struggle to trust him with. He already knows what is going on inside me, why not just hand it over for him so He may lift me up? I am learning to trust that He will turn the ashes in my life into things of beauty…when I let him…that he might be glorified. "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."—Isaiah 61:3.
I grew up in a very Godly, wonderful home. I am truly grateful for my parents and the truths they empowered me with. But because of my strong, Godly heritage, I quickly learned how to say all the right things, use all the appropriate scripture and argue to death theological points all the while keeping the painful brokeness of my heart inside. Instead of acknowledging certain disappointments and feelings to God or to others, I often find myself telling Him and myself, “I’m fine, I have it under control.” (Like He doesn’t already know I’m a mess!) When insecurities creep in and I find I am not satisfied in Christ completely then it means I am not trusting him for my life …. and that’s true. This bothers me and I often don’t want to admit it. After so many years of walking with Him, shouldn’t I be in a different place? Am I still struggling with the same thorn? By actually going to the deep places, my tiny faith is addressed. Ironically, that is right where He wants me; broken and in humble acknowledgment of where I lack trust. "Lord, help my unbelief! (Mark 9:24) I know that my faith is not as strong as it should be. James 4: 10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” His promise is to lift me up when I come to him humbly. It’s painful to address how far I haven’t come in my faith, but it’s when going there, that I realize the lengths and depths of Christ’s love for me. Romans 5:8 says, “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” I can’t even wrap my mind around that. Not when I got it together, not when I made all the right choices, not when my faith was perfect, but while I was a complete, utter, sinful mess; Christ died for me. Could I be loved anymore?
One of my closest friends battled cancer for several years before Jesus called her home. She lived her brief life with great purpose and taught me well how to be honest with struggles, yet hopeful in affliction. While struggling with cancer, many aspects of her faith were addressed, but she humbly handed God her broken pieces and she let Him be strong for her. It was beautiful to watch. Although God did not choose to heal her physically on earth, he made her extra beautiful as she prepared to see him face to face. Because she let him. In this fallen world, disappointments will continue to come and our small faith will continue to question God’s goodness. Isn’t it in the realization of our weak faith that we are made aware of our great need for a loving God? A God who is big enough and strong enough to handle our questions, doubts, anger and insecurities? There is great comfort and joy in following Jesus. He sees our mess and loves us more then we could begin to imagine!
God is teaching me to be honest with him in my hurt and humble in the things I still struggle to trust him with. He already knows what is going on inside me, why not just hand it over for him so He may lift me up? I am learning to trust that He will turn the ashes in my life into things of beauty…when I let him…that he might be glorified. "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."—Isaiah 61:3.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
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