Go

Tonight I went to Perspectives. The speaker's name was Bob Blincoe. He was a very good speaker and I wish you could have heard him. It wasn't just a feel good message, not that he wasn't funny at times, he was, but he's someone who'll give it to you straight.

I think that the Lord maybe using his talk and then last weeks speaker, Floyd Schneider, to challenge my thinking about missions and "if I should go".

You see they were challenging the thinking that God has to "call" you to missions. That you have to have a green light from God before you go. One thing that they both had in common was they both didn't know for sure that the people they ended up serving were really the ones God wanted them to serve among. They saw an open door, a need, so they went knowing full well that if that wasn't God's will He could close the door very easily.

I came across this quote by Hudson Taylor:

"It will not do to say that you have no special call to go to China. With these facts before you and with the command of the Lord Jesus to go and preach the gospel to every creature, you need rather to ascertain whether you have a special call to stay at home."

So, is our thinking messed up these days? Instead of me praying, "God do you want me to go" maybe I should plan on reaching those unreached people groups (physically and if I can't supporting others who can) and if God doesn't want me there won't He close every door in my face?

So now, I either face the question, "what about me", or I push it under the rug and continue to live my American life. Will I go? Am I willing to give up everything for the sake of the cross? Security, comfort, family, friends, everything that is familiar, a spouse, a home to decorate, a safe and healthy place to raise children, the feeling that I'm a good daughter, sister, and granddaughter for the feeling of betrayal to those closest to me?

You know, I think that we have this idea that we should only go into missions if the Lord has laid the lost and missions on our hearts. But really to go for the people is totally the wrong reason. We can't love a people who are so different than everything we're used to. We can't even love our families and friends at times, the people who love us the most. Who are we kidding? Sooner or later we are going to get fed up with them and want to quit. We need to be going out of obedience and love and the glory of our Lord. He's the only one who loves dirty, diseased ridden, filthy, stinky, jungle cannibals. Because He loves them, then if we love Him, He'll give us a love for them that's beyond us.

One of the last things that Bob reminded us of is that this life is just a blip on the screen. He said yeah he would like to live near his grand kids and children but that's what heavens for. Do we have this life all backwards as well? Is it not to serve ourselves by getting the most money possible. the most toys, more and more degrees but rather to arrive in heaven totally spent?

One last thing that he said that was a wonderful reminder to throw out our time oriented ways. Do we realize that Jesus prepared for 30 year for 3 year of ministry? Why do we lay such great importance on time and measure ours and others success by it?

I really haven't thought about this enough yet but I guess I felt like rambling. Thanks for letting me.