Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” What do you do when you are confronted with the reality that you fall short? That apart from Him, you are simply not enough?
There is a deep temptation to box up this verse and neatly apply it to eternal salvation, alone, to say, “Thank you God for eternal life, I will take it from here!” I have spent many years giving in to this temptation to varying degrees, attempting to worship God and self, His kingdom and this world. After all, what is the alternative, depending on God to provide for my every need in every moment? That sounds uncomfortable and unsustainable, right?
Life in the land of two gods is an anxious place of shaky ground and feeble houses (Luke 6:49). It is full of angry Marthas, busy trying to do, to chase after the unimportant, to protect themselves from the chance of rain, to not fully need the Lord. Each goal met becomes another token to place at the feet of the “Do Your Part” god who never says “that is enough”.
While living in this land, I would scour the Bible looking for promises that might make worshiping two gods less scary (Note: they do not exist). I was hopeful that their might be a verse, tucked away in some obscure version of the Bible, that would negate the blatant call throughout scripture to live in full dependence on the one, true God.
What I found instead were startling examples of Him never promising to help me achieve my earthly goals or prioritize my comfort and sanity (Daniel 4). In fact, He seemed to be willing to go to whatever lengths He needed to, that I might know He was Lord. He seemed to feel I had been designed for intimacy with Him and only when I sat in right perspective of Him could I partake of the true life He was offering, could I be rooted and grounded in Him and His love (Eph. 3:17), could I fully know the freedom and hope for which His son died (John 3:16).
This past year, God has been faithfully disrupting my kingdom, toppling my idols, and whispering all the while “it doesn’t matter because this is not your home”. He made it quite clear that He was not interested in being one of my gods, that the time had come to answer His question. “Who do you say I am?” By His grace, I have answered, “the one, true God.”
There is only one path in His kingdom. It is narrow, unfamiliar, and requires complete surrender (Matt. 7:14). There is no room on this path for personal agendas or multiple gods. It is not within earshot of the voices of this world. There is no promise of safety, maintenance of sanity, comfort, or affirmation and worldly success. There is only the objective of God being glorified, and the open invitation to sit at His feet and listen to Him say “I am the one, true God and I love you.” Apart from Him, I will fall short, but in Him, all things are possible.
Recently, I have spent much time sitting at His feet, feeding on His word, and listening to His voice. If you spend enough time hanging out with God, you cannot help but be transformed. You cannot help but begin to view the world with more and more of His kingdom’s perspective, to see as He sees. This world is full of people who have not yet heard that it is finished, He is enough, and they are loved. They do not yet know someone has died for them, and is waiting to have them come, sit and be transformed by His love. The one, true God hears the cries of those who suffer and is at work drawing the broken hearted to Himself, transforming the world, answering the prayers of His people that His kingdom come on this earth as it is in heaven.
People who have met God, know His voice. When He says go, they go. When He says come, they come. When He says do, they do (Matt. 8:9). Scripture is replete with examples of Jesus asking people to leave their loved ones, their careers, and their homelands in order to walk with Him. Though I always admired these people, I was sure He would never ask me to join them. However, amidst much questioning and requests for Him to repeat Himself once more, I have undeniably heard God telling me “Go”.
He has called me to commit to an 11 month mission/vision trip facilitated by Adventures in Missions called the World Race. I will be supporting ongoing ministry in 11 different countries, starting in West Africa, moving to Southeast and Central Asia, and ending in Central America. Our ministry will predominantly focus on supporting organizations that serve the poor, orphans, widows, AIDS victims, and sex trafficking victims. God has allowed me to join Him in inviting the crippled, the poor, the lame, the blind to His wedding feast (Lk. 14:13). I will be traveling with a team of 50 people, but will minister with a team of approximately 8 people within each country.
Whether this year will translate into a calling to long-term international ministry, or be used by God in other ways, I can’t say. I do know He is the one, true God and He loves me. He has said go, so I go.
