Devotion

"And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately.  

Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind.  

For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought.  

If you seek him, you will find him.  

But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.  So take this seriously.  

The LORD has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary.  Be strong, and do the work."

- 1 Chronicles 28:9-10

What has the Lord chosen you to do?  I can think of many things, both 'small' and 'large.'  Yet, while we seem to classify these things as 'small' and 'large,' they are all just as important.  Anything God charges us to do in life is for a reason and disobedience is disobedience, whether it was over a so-called 'small' or 'large' thing.  What if Solomon refused to build the temple?  He would be rejecting God.  He would not be loving him.

What if you or I reject God by refusing to love our neighbor?  By telling a "white" lie?  By lusting after someone in our flesh, in our heart, or with our eyes?  By being selfish with our time or money?  They are all equal in that they go against what God has charged us to do, just as equal as the 'large' thing Solomon was chosen to do.  Just as equal as being chosen to bring the Gospel to an unreached people and refusing to.  Just as equal as murder.  Just as equal as hate.  Just as equal as theft.  Just as equal as cursing.  Just as equal as being unkind.  We would be rejecting God.  We would not be loving him.

"Then David continued, 'Be strong and courageous, and do the work.  

Don't be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you.  

He will not fail you or forsake you.  

He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the LORD is finished correctly."

- 1 Chronicles 28:10

If God chooses you to do something, he has a reason and he will provide a way to do it.  If he chooses you to lead a Bible study, be a missionary, take care of children, coach a team, teach a class, study a subject, encourage believers, give to a ministry, etc. etc. etc., he will walk with you and lead the way.  And not just see that it is done but see that it is done CORRECTLY.  Not doing something correctly, when you know what and how correctly is, is disobedience.  And disobedience is sin.  And sin separates us from God.

What are some things we are ALL 'chosen' to do?  Love God.  Love people.  Tell the truth.  Be pure in thought, speech, and action.  Spread the Gospel.  Gather together in fellowship to worship.  Serve one another.  Give our lives and everything in it to the Lord.  Folks, how many times have we failed in one or all of these regards?  Too many times.  But that is not an excuse to continue to do so.  Like David said, "Take this seriously.  The Lord has chosen you... BE STRONG, AND DO THE WORK."  Or else one would have to ask, do you even really know God?

"And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, 

I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction... 

Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the LORD today?"

- 1 Chronicles 29:3, 5

"Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!"

- 1 Chronicles 29:14

There is nothing on this earth that is truly ours.  It all belongs to God and he has allocated it to us for his purposes.  Doing what God asks requires giving to God what is his: our money, our time, our lives.

I love how David specifies not just to know God but to know him INTIMATELY.  Don't just have him as an acquaintance; know him better than you know anybody else.  With "your whole heart and a willing mind" get to know him.  Everyday.  Lead by example like David and give yourself fully to whatever he asks you to do.  Allocate your resources to follow his lead.  God will help you complete whatever he asks you to do.  All you have to do is obey.

Devotion: "love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause" (from the dictionary app on my Mac).

Would others describe you as being devoted to God?  Or are you devoted to something else?  Based on your speech and actions people will identify you.  How about a self-evaluation: What preoccupies your thoughts?  What preoccupies your heart?

Are you just toting God around in the backseat?  Give him the wheel.  It's where he belongs.  Trust him to take you the right way, in the right time, to the right place and don't try to do it yourself.  Because his activities are the best activities.  And his cause is the best cause.  And because he first loved us.

Go

"When you make a promise to God, 

don't delay in following through, 

for God takes no pleasure in fools.  

Keep all the promises you make to him.  

It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it."

-Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

Six years ago, over the 2005-06 New Year, at the first World Missions Summit in Louisville, KY, I and hundreds of other college students were challenged to 'give a year and pray about a lifetime' in missions.  The premise being, what's a year in the grand scheme of your whole life?  Can't we all take a year and give it to God and allow him to work through us and in us?  Can't we all take a year to leave our comfort zone, get over ourselves, and go to those who have not yet heard?  Because, as the slogan went that year, "It's not about me."

Three years ago I intended to give that year but ended up coming home after six months due to a medical issue (which has since been resolved... after an unnecessary appendectomy... yeah ask me about that another time if you don't know).  Ever since then I have struggled with whether or not I still had a promise to fulfill.  I intended to stay a year.  It wasn't my fault I had to go back early.  Does that count?  Do I only owe half a year?  Can the year be cumulative?  If I add all the English camps and stuff to that half a year does that count?  These questions have swum around in my brain for the past three years, along with an aversion to thinking about going again for more than short-term work because it is hard.

Fast forward to 2012.  I'm in London, about to finish my masters degree, needing a job.  I go to English camp for the month of July as usual (It really has become a habit).  The first night there, a missionary I've known now for 5 years corners me about a job she has for me.  She says the local university needs English teachers and she's trying to build the local missionary 'cluster.'  So essentially, a job fell into my lap.  And not just any job.  This job would give me teaching experience, a chance to continue language study, and a salary to enable me to make payments on my student loan.  And I would be serving on the field.  (Seriously, how many missionaries get a salary??)  It's everything I wanted/needed and I got that tingly 'this-is-it' feeling, yet, part of my heart held me back.  My heart had been looking forward to coming home.  I'm not really sure how to articulate it, but part of me was/is grieved and I can't really say it all here.

I said I wasn't ready to say yes and needed some time.  Then day after day, in my early morning quiet time by the light of a phone, while my roomie was still asleep, until the first rays of dawn crept into the room, before running down the dusty streets early enough to beat the craze of Oriental traffic and see the sunrise over some of those funky-shaped karst mountains, God showed me over and over again why I needed to go.

He first reminded me of the promise.  I found myself convicted by Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 (as you see above).  But he also reminded me why.  It's not simply a matter of a promise.  It's not simply being there for a year to say I was there.  It's about God's heart for the lost.  It's about his redemptive plan for the world.  It's about his glory.

"Then,  calling the crowd to join his disciples, [Jesus] said,

'If any of you wants to be my follower, 

you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.  

But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.  

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?  

Is anything worth more than your soul?'"

-Mark 8:34-37

"If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; 

or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.   

If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.  

If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it."

-Matthew 10:37-39

"The harvest is great, but the workers are few.  

So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; 

ask him to send more workers into his fields."

-Luke 10:2

 "Wake up and look around.  The fields are already ripe for harvest.  

The harvesters are paid good wages, 

and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life.  

What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!"

-John 4:35-36

Jesus calls all of his followers to be missional wherever we are.  Each and every one of us is called to be salt and light to everyone we find around us.  Wherever God puts us, we are meant to be sharing the Gospel.  Some places have more workers than others, so God shuffles us around to get the job done.  How are 'all nations' supposed to hear if we all stay in one place?  If God asks you to do something, then you better do it.  I was very bluntly asked to go and I didn't really have a good reason to say no.  "Turn from your selfish ways..."  Could I trust God to take care of it?  Yes.

To those I saw in the States back in June, I'm glad I got to see you.  To those I didn't get to see, I'll see you next year.  To those who looked forward to me coming home, I'm sorry.  God had other plans for 2012-13.  Apparently they involve a subtropical, Asian city.

"Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect.  

They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.  

For 'Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.'

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him?

And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?

And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?

That is why the Scriptures say,

'How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!'"

-Romans 10:12-15

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And it's really funny that my last post two months ago was titled "Come" based off of the quote "Jesus cannot say 'Go' without first saying 'Come.'"  And now this one is titled "Go."  I promise I just now realized this after I wrote it! hahaha