16
Sep '14
September 2014
16
Sep '14
Normally our newsletters are about mission reports and opportunities, but as I sit at my desk today, the Holy Spirit has filled my heart with some other thoughts. Please let me share with you what God is challenging me with this morning!
- I’m thinking about the almost 3 billion unreached people in the world today.
- I’m thinking about those who have no hope and have not even heard the message of salvation found in Jesus Christ.
- I’m thinking about how so much more could be done if we would just get our eyes off ourselves, our own desires, our own things, and truly surrender all to Jesus Christ.
- I’m thinking about how much more we could accomplish if we could come to the place where we only kept for ourselves what we truly need and rose to the level of giving the rest away to reach the unreached peoples of the world and help those who live in squalor.
The true spiritual reality is that God “made us alive together with Christ (“by grace you have been saved”), raised us up together, and brought us “to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6). If we would seek to see things from God’s heavenly point of view, our whole way of thinking would change and we would be all about fulfilling Gods plan – most of the time and not just some of the time.
- Isn’t it time we begin to live that way?
- Isn’t it time we begin to count the cost of what it means to truly be His disciple?
- Isn’t it time we begin to take up our cross in truth, deny ourselves, and follow Him daily?
- Isn’t it time we begin to let go of the things of the world that give us too much comfort and distract us from God and His purposes?
Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Isn’t it time for us to live in freedom! I have lived in bondage and I have lived in freedom and freedom is always better. To live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ instead of the Lordship of myself and my desires is so much better. It’s better for me, for those directly around me, and for those God has called me to reach.
As believers, we have been saved by grace, yet we will all give an account of our lives before our Heavenly Father. At this point we should ask ourselves an important question: “Will I be embarrassed before the Lord regarding my service to the one who gave so much to gain our freedom and salvation?” Let’s think about it now and ask ourselves: “What would we change if we knew Jesus was returning in the next day, week, month or year?” Write it down, and then move towards change. We all must repent of our spiritual sloth and laziness.
The precious life God has given us is meant to be spent – poured out – on Him and His divine purposes. Remember the words of Jesus in Luke 22:42: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” To live for anything else is futile; it will only bear fruit that is rotten and worth little or nothing. I have lived that way at times in my life, and in those times I was filled with anxiety, worry, fear, and selfishness. I accomplished very little for the glory of God. Can you identify with that? Is that where you are now? If it is, what will you do to make the changes necessary to see the fulfillment of God’s will for your life?
Matthew 6:33 tells us God’s will: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” When we seek first His Kingdom, it means we have to deliberately dethrone ourselves from the Kingdom of Self. We truly have to give it all to Jesus. That is when things change and when we realize that our time is God’s time, our resources are God’s resources, and all of our gifts from His throne of Grace. Will we release them back to Him or grasp them tightly until He comes? Is Jesus going to be Lord of my life, or am I going to stay seated on the throne making my own life decisions based on what I want instead of what He wants? We are free to choose our paths. The Holy Spirit will lead me, but He won’t “make” me change!
I pray sincerely that every one of us will choose His will as we move forward in life.
In His Service, Brian Weller
Please be in prayer for the mission team leaving for Peru on September 26. This team of twelve people come from three different churches in Brandon, Florida. First United Methodist Church, Limona Village Chapel UMC and Faith Primera Iglesia.
While in Peru they will be:
- Building a prefab home
- Hosting eyeglass clinic outreaches
- Doing VBS ministries
- Ministering in churches and on the streets.
We are excited about having this team, and excited about all they can accomplish while in Peru. We don’t take many mission teams from the USA to Peru, so we are going to keep them very busy!
