This time of year is a joyous time of remembering how God brought salvation to this earth. It is such a privilege we live in a country where we can know and hear about Jesus, Christmas, and salvation so freely. And that through a foundation of Christian beliefs grace and mercy are still rooted in our culture. But for 3 billion in the world that have never heard of Jesus and His grace, their gods and beliefs have made for a life and view completely different than ours. They worship gods and goddesses in hope of salvation, but even if the salvation offered was true, millions upon millions still live in despair of ever achieving it. Their beliefs are that not all people are equal, and many are deserving of treatment less than cows, dogs and rats. In their mind many are predestined to a wretched life with no hope for mercy or grace, deserving of a life of punishment.
In knowledge of the great hope and joy that comes to our fellow Asian believers, I am overjoyed that Gospel For Asia is supporting Asian Christian brothers and sisters. There is now hope for salvation, healing of families, healing of people physically and spiritually, and filling thousands with joy in finally knowing the most high God, a God of love, that offers love, grace, and mercy.
While I was out support raising, I was SO curious to find out what I would be doing when I got back to Gospel for Asia. Right up to when I applied for my apartment, I had no idea what I would be doing. However, I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be placed. God is good! I’m am working in the media department. I helped out there a little bit when I was in the School of Discipleship.
At the moment, I am learning how to use a Mac, work in After Effects and Final Cut Express. Other than using a Mac, I’d say I love my job! Although I will miss the Volunteer department , I am soooo excited to see how God uses me in this area of the ministry, and I get to do what I love each and every day!
I’m so blessed because this job is an opportunity I had been waiting and praying for for a long time, and now God’s placed me in the exact place I wanted to be!
Sunday, on 10/10/10, I got to be part of the coolest event that day! Michele J. and Shelly, two GFA staff writers, and I represented Gospel for Asia at a birthday party in Fort Worth. But this birthday party was a “Living GFA Christmas Catalog!” This young couple with four kids decided that they would instead invite families to their house to purchase Christmas catalog items. They were so fun and creative, they made signs from blown up pictures of last year’s catalog for each of the animals in the petting zoo. Also, tables were set with stacks of Bibles or blankets with signs and information about sponsoring a missionary or Bridge of Hope child.
I got to video record the interviews we had with parents and kids. These parents just wanted their kids to not be absorbed with material possessions and realize there are people completely different from us that need help and they haven’t heard about Jesus. I recognized in these parents what I’ve seen elsewhere, a growing desire to have something real, a real faith, and to be away from the materialism and stuff. A growing knowledge that in the US many live a decent Christian or moral life but not in a way where they actually need God; self-sufficient yet knowing we do need God. It was good seeing these families depart from the cultural norm and hoping to see God work.
A couple days ago the Lord taught me something really cool. As a part of the GFA home team we are on a rotation to clean bathrooms. (Glamorous right?) So, today as I was cleaning the bathroom and checking things off of the list, I was praying through some struggles. The end my prayer was just “I want to be more and more like Jesus. I want to be more and more like Him.” So I was almost finished with my job and was polishing the wooden door, when Keith, one of the core staff members at GFA stopped to say thank you. He thanked me for doing the job all the way and making sure that everything got done right. I’m thinking, “Everything done right? If only you knew.”
He said that what I was doing indirectly made him look good since he is in charge of building and grounds upkeep. When K.P. looks at things he would say “Wow, Keith’s doing a good job.”
“What? Excuse me, I’m the one doing this work. Why should he get the credit?”
It made me think, what if we all did things just to give our Father the credit? He’s the boss. If we did things just so that he’d get the praise, life would be so much better. It wouldn’t be a competition to do more because no one would know that you did it in the first place. It’d just be something that God did.
So, what if we did things all the way all the time? Not just on the outside where people can see it, like this door; but sweeping next to the garbage can and dusting the corners? What if we made sure Christ got the credit for that too?
What is there in your life that you are doing half way? Is it trying to make money – or is it your Bible study? Which one is it that Christ is getting credit for? What would you change if you knew everything you were doing in life went into His account and not yours? If everything you did showed up on Jesus’ background check, would you want to hire him?
So that’s what Christ taught me as I was cleaning the bathroom – that I need to be doing things for Him because everything I do is going on His account.
It’s been a busy few months! Between School of Discipleship graduation, a support trip back home, training for my new job, and new staff classes just beginning, I have definitely been learning a lot about dependence on the Lord.
I find my self becoming easily stressed out and overwhelmed when I have so many things going on that I fail to even look to God for any help or answers. I tend to start becoming so busy that I no longer even make time for daily devotions to seek the Lord and look for His hand in these things.
I realized this is where I was a little over a month ago as I sat listening to a sermon about spiritual maturity. The basic message was that when we fail, the main sign of spiritual maturity is to run TO the Lord and the main sign of spiritual immaturity is to run AWAY from Him. I was able to fairly easily recognize myself in the latter. That realization was huge for me because it brought me running back to the Lord and rediscovering the rest that He offers.
So rather than trying to balance a thousand things during the day and then just coming back to the apartment to veg and watch TV, I am now striving to go before the Lord with my free time and be filled with His peace that He truly is sovereign and all these things I am worried about and dealing with are under His control. I like that.
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