“The mighty man will become tinder
and his work a spark;
both will burn together,
with no one to quench the fire.”
-Isaiah 1:31
I first discovered this verse back in January, when my squad was in Cambodia, and ever since then, it has become one of my favorites, not just because of the message, but the implication that it can have on the life of a Christian.
(Side note: when I did a google image search for “tinder”, all it brought up were pictures of an app called “tinder”. Am I missing out on a new fad? What is this thing? Man, I am out of the loop.)
I’ll try to make myself brief in this blog, but for my friends and supporters who don’t know; I will be going back to work with the World Race for another 5 months as a squad leader for an incredible group of 40 young individuals on L squad.
Just a few months ago, this was never a place in which I thought I would find myself, but as my Race came to a close in May, I felt the Lord pulling me in this direction.
I had worked in television for the 3 years leading up to my Race, and I always thought that that was where I would be as soon as I returned home. However, God showed me a different path. And though I’m confident that He does want me back in the TV industry at some point down the road; at this juncture, I’m confident that the Lord has set me in a leadership position with L squad for a reason. And I believe that the aforementioned verse from Isaiah has something to do with that.
What I love about that verse is that it isn’t enough for us to simply be mighty men (or women) for God. Isaiah says that this will make us tinder. Well, tinder doesn’t exactly do a whole lot of good if it just sits around, waiting to be lit. Tinder doesn’t realize its full potential until it has a spark to ignite it. Only then will the two burn together, with no one to quench it.
The same can be said for Christians, and on a more personal note, those who choose to embark on the World Race. I believe that God created us all with the potential to be mighty men and women: to be tinder for His kingdom. But what good are we if all that greatness is just sitting around, waiting to be lit by someone else? Our work is the spark that can ignite the flame, which Isaiah tells us is unquenchable.
And of course, this doesn’t mean that if you don’t go into overseas missions, that you’re unable to light this flame. It also doesn’t mean that everyone serving in a longer-term missions capacity has this flame lit. There’s more than enough work to be done at home; and as sad as it is to say, there are plenty of missionaries, both within and outside of the Race, who still haven’t been able to light that spark.
All this is to say that for people who may wonder why I would serve 11 months overseas and jump right back into the field for another 5 months, all I can tell you is that I want my life to be a continuing quest to keep my spark burning. I know that the Lord has stored up within me a great amount of tinder, and as long as I’m willing to allow my work to create that spark, no one will be able to quench my fire.
On a side note, in order to return to the mission field, I’m in need of an additional $3,500 in funds. If the Lord has put in on your heart, please feel free to click on the “Support Me” link to your left, and allow the Lord to work through you in putting me back into the mission field.
