As I go to the mission field my mind has been very set on the “going” and the “doing”. If I’m being honest part of me is going out of obligation rather than true love. I’ve been in a place where I felt a little distant from God. I felt that if I just obeyed him I would feel his love more. God has been revealing something amazing to me. Whether it’s in teaching, worship, daily conversation, or just through the Holy Spirit one them has been constantly reoccurring. It is the simple truth that I am a child of God. I often overlooked the massive implications of this concept. The truth is I can’t ever earn God’s love. I can read the Bible, I can sit in church ever Sunday, I could go on countless mission trips, but if I never grasp the love of God I miss out. I’ve been digging into the Scriptures to see what being a child of God really means. In Galatians 4:5 God says we may receive adoption as sons. This means we are not born God’s child, but he chooses us. In fact Ephesians 1:4 says he chose us before he made the world. If you accept this you are the chosen and adopted child of the most powerful and loving God. God has already chosen you. He loves you so much more than we could ever imagine. Even better his love is unconditional. We can never out run him because he’s everywhere, and we he won’t ever love us less. Sometimes we feel distant from God because we put up walls, and we allow the enemy to crowd our space, and we tell ourselves lies. God is always there and he always loves you. So take peace in that, and let it be your joy. Yes we should do missions, but it shouldn’t be out of an obligation, or to act like we can work ourselves closer to God. We need to realize God already loves us, and already is close. The best thing we can do is seek out the truth of who God is and let that love overflow. If you truly realize God loves you for who you are, and not what you can do I guarantee it will change your life. So just be you. Realize our dad up in heaven loves you immensely as you are. It’s so freeing. Then let your love, and joy, and peace that comes from that be what causes you to overflow to the world around you. Don’t try to work yourself closer to God it’s exhausting and often futile. Just seek out the truth of who he is and realize you are already so loved. Just be his child.
