Every month there is a point where all of my days begin to
run together. I lose all anchors of time
like what day of the week it is, what part of the month it is, etc. I passed that point several days ago, and it
isn’t a bad feeling.
Our days here in Mamprobi-Accra, splitting time between Rev. 
Joseph’s and a
Rev. Joyce’s ministries, consist of breakfast at around 8am, visiting a local
community to evangelize from 9am-2pm, lunch, and then a service at night. At night, half of us attend Rev. Joseph’s
church, and the other half go with Rev. Joyce to her church. After my first night of talking at Rev.
Joseph’s church, I was asked back the next night to share my testimony about
how God has called me to the mission field and what has been my
motivation. I was also asked to bring a
word of encouragement. I used the
opportunity to talk about the Gospel, how it has changed my life, and how that
alone is enough motivation to go wherever the Spirit would lead me, and then I
encouraged the believers in the congregation to go and preach the Gospel
wherever they find themselves. I also challenged them to consider going north
to proclaim Christ among the Muslims where they will be killed for the Gospel’s
sake.
What gives me the right to ask men and women to consider
willfully laying down their lives for the sake of the Gospel? Why would anyone ever want to?
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
The mercies of God. It is that simple. When you begin to understand the whole weight
of your depravity, that you were birthed in iniquity, that you have not ceased
sinning from the moment of your conception, that all of your sin is against the
God of the Universe, and that the only thing God would be right to do to you on
judgment day is to pour out the full cup of His wrath upon you, and continue
torturing you for the rest of eternity; and then, when by grace you begin to
learn that God Himself became man, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect,
sinless life that you could not, and then died; and that when He died, He
willfully laid His life down for you, satisfying the wrath of God rightfully
directed toward you, by bearing it all Himself, and that on the third day He
rose from the grave, conquering death, and purchasing your eternal life when
you put your trust in Him and begin to repent of sins. And that even your repentance and faith are
not your own doing, but they too are a gift of God. The knowledge of such things changes a
person. The mercies of God that He has
shown me, in my short life, are enough to carry me into eternity. May I ever have the privilege of dying for
the Gospel’s sake?
