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It’s Not About Me!
If you had asked me several years ago, I’d have told you I would never go on a mission trip, certainly not one to Africa. But over those several years, God has been shepherding me toward this time and this trip.
You see, I once thought that going on a mission trip meant that you were spiritually mature and wise, and that YOU were going to do something amazing. I watched people come back from mission trips talking about just that, “What WE did….What WE planned…Who WE saved…”
Oswald Chambers, in “My Utmost for His Highest,” says, “Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and His point of view is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary enterprise the great danger is that God’s call is effaced by the needs of the people until human sympathy absolutely overwhelms the meaning of being sent by Jesus.” Well, hmmm, that sounds like the mission is the Lord’s and I’m just being sent as an emissary. That sounds a whole lot less daunting than my going to do something in my own power.
In Luke 10:1, Jesus sends out seventy to share the news that the kingdom of God was near. When the seventy returned from this mission they were joyous because even the demons had submitted to them in Jesus’ name, but Jesus said to them, in essence, “Don’t rejoice in successful service; the great secret of joy is that you are rightly related to Me.” What a joy it has been to prepare to be a part of this mission team from CCC! To pray for hearts that are ready to love and set on Christ, and to know that we have a church body praying for that as well as for safety, peace for our families, and the joy of knowing Christ for the people of Kenya. Those who come to know Christ during our trip will have done so through the working of the Holy Spirit, and not because of one, two, or all eighteen of us.
As we make our return home, I thank God for the opportunity to be His vessel, and I thank all of you, on behalf of the whole team, for your prayers and your support. You, too, have been a part of a mission team, and we wouldn’t have been a complete team without you.
To God be the Glory!
Jeri:
Thanks for representing CCC, and more importantly, Jesus, in Kenya. Thanks for your servant’s heart and your love for God’s people.
Your Brother
T
“Don’t rejoice in successful service; the great secret of joy is that you are rightly related to Me.” Our relationship with Jesus is the most important factor in our daily lives . We may never see the fruits of our labors or service yet if God has called you to serve you should serve no matter what.
Jeri -
You didn’t just listen to the Word, you did what it said. Way to go. You’re living out James 1.
Way to go to the entire team!
blessings,
alan