So, we’re supposed to write a blog about how we were called to the mission field… If you know me, you know all the stories about songs, past missions trips, love of travel, etc. You can also check out my past blog about the summer for a more recent “is He enough?” lesson I learned. But what is the real reason for me doing the WorldRace? I’ll start at the beginning…No, like the legit beginning.
In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God… All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made which has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. And the Lord God planted a garden in the east, in Eden and there He put man. And the Lord walked there in the cool of the day. But man was not satisfied with God. He was ‘not enough.’ And Adam and Eve took of the fruit that they might ‘gain’ more knowledge and be satisfied outside of God’s presence. And sin entered the world. And all of mankind became enemies of God. But God was gracious, and clothed the naked sinners. Though they were condemned and exiled, they were still His people. For thousands of years, God’s people continued being unsatisfied in Him, worshipping idols and cycling through exile, repentance, and redemption. They were called to be a light to the nations – depicting the character of their God through caring for the sojourner, living a righteous life, and worshiping the Lord their God, and Him only. But their sin kept them from being this light. They were distracted by their lusts. Their idols. God was simply unsatisfactory. He ‘wasn’t enough’ for them. Because of their sin, they were exiled numerous times. But though they walked through the desert for 40 years, their feet did not swell, they did not grow hungry, and their clothes did not wear out. (See Nehemiah 9, pretty crazy). Though they were exiled in Babylon, God used Daniel to teach the Magi about a coming Messiah, so they knew what to look out for. Even in their exile, God never left His people. Even in mankind’s sin and lawlessness, God the Just provided a final atoning sacrifice so that He could bestow grace on His beloved. Even though they walked through the valley of the shadow of death, even there His hand guided them. Salvation was here. Through one man, sin entered the world. Through one God-man, God’s abundant provision, grace, and righteousness are bestowed upon all who believe. Grace abounds. But that grace was not free. Just as it was costly for Jesus Christ to die to provide the grace, it is costly for us to live in it. God’s people are called to have the same mind as Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, made Himself nothing, and gave Himself up for us. We are called to live accordingly. God, the One who formed us in our mother’s wombs, who planned out every day of our lives, who knows our going out and lying down, Whose Spirit we can never escape, has not only made us in His image, but called us to live in His image. We are to give ourselves up for others. Just as God became man and gave Himself up for us, we are called to reach the lonely, the oppressed, the poor, the lost. When Jesus quoted Isaiah, He also gave us an example of the identity we are to have in Him. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon us to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, to comfort all who mourn, and to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. This is the Garden. This is Eden. This is the Kingdom. It is simply not enough to pray “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” We are called to be His hands and feet and bring that Kingdom to this world. To act in His image. Because we’re made in His image. Yes, to some extent, there is a coming Kingdom where Christ will reign and Satan will no longer be the ruler of this world, but I believe that if we say Christ meant to pray that Kingdom comes soon and He no longer tarries, and that alone, we are ignoring the rest of scripture that says, “Until that day, bring the kingdom NOW!” Be Christ’s hands. Be His feet. Love the widow, the oppressed, the orphan, the prostitute, the hungry, the lost. Do this so that all will be able to see and experience Jesus Christ as the supreme treasure in your life. Do not be like those who were not satisfied in Him. Who ate the fruit. Who worshipped the golden calf. Exile is the consequence. I would go so far to say that if we are not satisfied in Him, maybe we do not know Him. If we do not treasure Him, maybe we have never truly realized just how precious He is. And if He is truly precious, satisfactory, and to be treasured above all else, then why do we fritter away our lives on lesser things? Why are we so overtaken with romance, clothing, finances, etc, that we are not living the Kingdom? God has indeed blessed us with the ability and freedom to enjoy life, but if we enjoy those things more than Him, we need to evaluate ourselves and check if He really dwells in us. If He is not in us, we are in danger of the final exile. The exile from which there is no Promised Land on the other side of the Jordan. If Christ is in us, we must live like it. Love so amazing, so Divine, demands our soul, our life, our all. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on towards the goal to which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Thy kingdom come, Lord. Here am I, send me. I will go.
