So as you may or may not already know, I’m taking the next year to take a big step out of my comfort zone and be part of the World Race. It’s one of Adventures in Missions‘ short-term missions programs. Adventures in Missions is a missions organization that has sent over 100,000 missionaries since 1989. They focus on mobilizing and discipling Christians to become missionaries so that they can mobilize and disciple others too.
–Also — please don’t read this post as a preachy post or anything like that. It’s not my intention; I just wanted to share my heart with all of you beautiful readers who I may or may not know yay Internet.–
One of the questions that has been on my heart for the past year or so is “what is the Gospel worth to you?” What would you give up for the Kingdom of Heaven? Is this really important to you?
God has been teaching me and convicting me that serving Him is not optional. He commands us to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus also warns against merely hearing His words without doing them. Through various conversations, observations, sermons, and random other things, He’s been challenging me to take bigger steps of faith with Him.
Even tonight, at my home church’s college ministry, we talked about the Gospel’s great worth. Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to “a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46). I have been a merchant in search of fine pearls – I’ve tried to find my worth in academic success, in a prestigious career, in having people approve of me and my choices. But I’ve begun to believe that none of those will satisfy, and that the “one pearl of great value” can only be Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life with our Creator.
So what can I sell? I have academic success, I could have a prestigious career, maybe some people think I’m cool. What can I give up for the glory of God?
I can give up the “promise” of a prestigious and lucrative career, I can give up knowing what comes next, I can give up being “cool” (not that I was ever really cool. I like making faces and noises too much to be cool). This isn’t going to be easy for me – not at all. I have a lot of pride in the success I’ve had so far and the success I could have in the future. I didn’t even realize how prideful and selfish I was being until the possibility of giving it up became greater and greater.
So I’m taking myself off the fast track to the world’s definition of success. While it’s possible that God could still use me in that way, He has only shone His spotlight on the few steps right in front of my feet. I believe He will continue to reveal the next steps to me as I follow Him into the scary darkness of the future.
God promised that He would be “with [us] always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He also promised that His Word is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). When we step out in faith, following His commandments and leaving all else behind, we can have faith that He is with us and will guide us. And that is amazing.
— psssst also if you’d like to receive a support letter and maybe support me through prayer or financial giving, please fill out this google form! —
— this same post on my tumblr —
