“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Colossians 3:17 NIV
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:2-3 NIV
When one spends time with the same people for months & months, they naturally start to exchange lingo and such. One of gap k’s sayings is, “that’s a word”. Basically it means someone just said something really wise or true. Colossians 3- talk about a word. I mean it’s in the Bible, so you’re going to find a word no matter what book or verse you’re looking at. The passages above are a couple of the “words” God has been reminding me over my time spent here. The World Race is a tool we can use for the rest of our lives (words from Matt Blair), but just because we’re doing missions and are immersed in a community of people with similar values, it doesn’t wipe away all of our problems or baggage we brought with us. This is where the “word” becomes relevant- verses 2 and 3 talk about focusing on things above rather than on earth. There are so many things in life that easily capture our attention; jobs, money, school, relationships, power, etc. I’ve found myself consumed by future plans and subconsciously distraught because I can’t control what’s to come. I didn’t realize the extent of my distress until recently, after realizing that God was telling me to focus on him. To do everything for him, and live in a constant state of gratitude. The things I have been distracted by don’t even begin to compare to the joy the Lord gives me when I let him. He’s always giving, always loving. The freedom we get to walk in when we let God take control is so overwhelming He’s SO. FAITHFUL. His sacrifice for us, his unconditional love, describes all that he promises us- whether that means our future, anxiety, relationships, he proved his promise to provide a way for us when Jesus died for us & rose AGAIN, and that same power and authority lives in us and will continue to when we struggle, & when we don’t. It’s what allows us to keep moving, to see the Lord at work no matter where we’re at in life, and to have the joy that comes from him & live in an abundance of it. Coming here, I felt like being distracted was the least of my worries- that God would tell me literally anything else because my understanding of how important it is to center our lives around him was more than enough. But clearly understanding is different from practicing, so he’s teaching me how to surrender the things that I’ve idolized and to pursue intimacy with him over all, even if that means giving up what I feel like I can control. And it’s so liberating- doing all things for him & focusing on what he’s given us right now, like LOVE & JOY & so many other things. This is what his love does to us people, makes us go WILD!!
Thank you Jesus for your abundant love & provision!!
