Doing Right

I sent the following message out to a mission team that is preparing for an upcoming trip. May it be an encouragement to that group and others, too.
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“What’s important is not that everything goes right, but that what you’re doing is right.” (Erwin McManus in An Unstoppable Force)

I came across this line while reading recently, and I wanted to share it with you. With a group of 40+ people traveling from the USA to South America for a week of ministry consisting of a mobile medical clinic, multiple door-to-door evangelism teams, a team of 25 translators, 8 local churches, transportation by plane, bus, and taxi, not to mention other things, there is a strong likelihood that everything will not GO right. And you know what? That is ok. The more important matter is for our hearts to BE right and for our hands, feet, and mouths to DO right. That way, if and when things do not go right, or do not go the way we might expect, then we will be in the right frame of mind and heart to adjust, adapt, and meet whatever challenge we face. Besides, the God we know and love and serve, the One whose name we bear, is sovereign over all things, and nothing that happens between now and July 18-26 will catch him by surprise. Nothing will startle him or thwart his plans and purposes from being accomplished. So, whatever is happening in your life now, whatever will happen in the days ahead, may you find rest in the knowledge of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us, to redeem us, that we might declare his praises among the nations, his glorious deeds among all peoples.

Giving Thanks

It is such a blessing to know and serve the Lord! I think of the song that goes, "Knowing (Loving, Serving) you, Jesus, knowing you. There is no greater thing. You're my all. You're my best. You're my joy, my righteousness. And I love you, Lord." For sure, there are challenges and obstacles and frustrations and disappointments, etc., but God's grace and power are sufficient to meet and overcome each one. And in the midst of them, he teaches and molds us to be more like Jesus.

Devoted to Christ

Great devotional from Oswald Chambers this morning! He writes about the primary importance of being devoted to the person of Jesus Christ, not the cause bearing his name, or any other cause for that matter. "Today we have substituted doctrinal belief for personal belief, and that is why so many people are devoted to causes and so few are devoted to Jesus Christ." It is good to be reminded that my most passionate devotion must be to Jesus Christ. I owe my ultimate allegiance to him and reserve my greatest affection for him. As a pastor, it is not my job to convince everyone that my opionions and positions are right, but to feed and nurture God's people on his Word, encouraging them to grow in the grace of knowledge of the Lord.

To Believe and to Suffer

Most of us think of receiving a gift as a good thing. For those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, nothing is greater than God's gift of salvation that comes to us through him. I am preparing to preach this Sunday from Philippians 1.27-30. Verse 29 says, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake." Did you get that? Paul places suffering for Jesus in the same category as believing in Jesus. Is that not startling?

Another Attempt

Since it has been 11 months or so since my last post, I figured it was time to give it another try. We'll see how things go this time. I do hope to have more interaction with people, and if this encourages that, then I will be pleased. If not, then I'll simply explore other avenues of communication. There are lots of ideas and topics that interest me, and perhaps this will be a good place to share some of them.

I have recently returned home from a busy week of travel, during which I attended the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis and conducted a friend's wedding in Yakima, Washington. Not surprisingly, I was really glad to get back home on Fathers' day. Fortunately, I don't have any major travel plans until my trip to Chincha, Peru in July.

OK, so that's enough for now. Stay tuned for more to come!