Recently, I made a list of goals for The World Race. A list of things that of things that I was expecting to learn, experience and see on the race. After some prayer time, I think I may have missed the point just a little bit. I don’t regret making a list of those goals and I’m not going to change or delete them. But my focus has changed from pursuing all of those goals to simply pursuing one. My goal for the trip will now be summed up with four letters L.O.V.E.
If there is something I would want to be known for I would want to be known as someone who loved well. I do not want to be known for for the number of miles “I” traveled, the number of people “I” presented the Gospel to, or even for the amount of time “I” spent playing with kids around the world. All of those things have a theme and that theme is myself. I can do these things and take credit for them. What I can not do is truly love people in and of myself.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.
-1 John 4:16
To really love people I have to rely on the God who IS love. I believe that living in His love will take His Word farther than anything I could do. I believe that God’s love is the most powerful thing the world has ever seen.
I want to see God work on this trip. I want to see people not just come to Jesus but run to Him. Love is the way this will happen. Love came down to earth and changed my life. So what better way to represent God than to share His love with others? This isn’t something that I can do but it’s something I can do through Him.
People are drawn to love. Deep down that is what people really want, to love and be loved. I know that God loves me so it is now my responsibility to share that love across the world.
I never want to be some sort of salvation salesman, trying to meet my quota for the day. I want to open the door for God to work in people’s lives by simply loving them. I believe when I let God’s love run my life I will see the miracles and the breakthrough in peoples lives. But I can’t let it become about the miracles themselves.
Life has to be about a word that is so full of power it can be interchanged with God Himself. LOVE
