Ephesians 4:1
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
I just returned from my second trip to Muar and it has been a blessing to have the chance to meet up with those whom we knew last year again. Like all other mission trips, it was fraught with many changes which required us to adjust flexibily. Fortunately, as relatively seasoned mission trippers, the commanders were able to scale down and improvise because this year, the workshop participants were really young and innocent.
Personally, I'm disappointed that out of so many ER's, only 3 eager hearts made themselves available to the tasks of going to this mission trip. It's such a stark contrast to the eager bethelites who were beaming to leave for their mission trip to thailand. Nonetheless, I'm also truely blessed that these 3 chosed to sacrifice time to go because it spoke volumes of their heart to obey God's commission in their capacity.
Having assigned the 2 guys to preach a sermon and having seen their efforts in preparation, it was a shame to have to tell each of them that they needed to cut their message into a simple devotional closing because for each day, time did not permit them to share what they had prepared with their heart and soul. But, I am reminded of the fact that God looks at the heart and not at the physical. So even though each only presented a skimmed version without the bells and whistles prepared, truely their work done was worthy of praise as it was prepared out of the righteous essence to bless the Muarians.
When Samuel adjusted his sharing to the key verse of John 20:21 and shared that Jesus had told every believer that "I am sending you". I saw the living truth of his sharing as he stood on the pulpit as a living example of a Christian who was responding to the call to go out to disciple all nations.
("So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."John 20:21)
The ER's who went out to Muar are not the most talented or multi-gifted compared to many others. It was evident as they each struggled through their respective tasks. From worship leading for Valencia, to english-mandarin translation for GuiHong and sermon sharing for Samuel, none of them had it easy.
As Paul states clearly, it's not about how many gifts or abilities, it's about living a life which is worthy of your calling. We are called to live worthy lives! Should that not make us want to constantly go forth to do any of God's work and expand the few and limited talents we all possess, rather than do things with ease and living in contentment.
I pray that this minor set-back of having so few mission trip participants would be a one time glitch which would be erased in the coming years when many would arise and create opportunities for themselves to go forth rather than await for opportunities to be created for them to go and serve.
Personally, I've learnt much during this mission trip and my eyes are once again renewed with the truth of how blessed and overly saturated we are and how the fields abroad are lacking of any form of willing harvesters. I'm grateful that I was given the chance to meet up with the older youths such as Joash and Shirley and have had the chance to pray over them. I am reminded of the truth that such youths/young adults represent a new generation that God can use mightily.
I may never get a chance to meet the many people whom I've met in our various mission trips again. So today, I deeply pray over them and the youths of my church that each will end well in their life's journey as they live a passionate life for God that is worthy of the calling of God.
Blessings,
M.
"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." (Ephesians 4:7)
10 December 2007
Live Worthy of Your Calling
Ephesians 4:1
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
I just returned from my second trip to Muar and it has been a blessing to have the chance to meet up with those whom we knew last year again. Like all other mission trips, it was fraught with many changes which required us to adjust flexibily. Fortunately, as relatively seasoned mission trippers, the commanders were able to scale down and improvise because this year, the workshop participants were really young and innocent.
Personally, I'm disappointed that out of so many ER's, only 3 eager hearts made themselves available to the tasks of going to this mission trip. It's such a stark contrast to the eager bethelites who were beaming to leave for their mission trip to thailand. Nonetheless, I'm also truely blessed that these 3 chosed to sacrifice time to go because it spoke volumes of their heart to obey God's commission in their capacity.
Having assigned the 2 guys to preach a sermon and having seen their efforts in preparation, it was a shame to have to tell each of them that they needed to cut their message into a simple devotional closing because for each day, time did not permit them to share what they had prepared with their heart and soul. But, I am reminded of the fact that God looks at the heart and not at the physical. So even though each only presented a skimmed version without the bells and whistles prepared, truely their work done was worthy of praise as it was prepared out of the righteous essence to bless the Muarians.
When Samuel adjusted his sharing to the key verse of John 20:21 and shared that Jesus had told every believer that "I am sending you". I saw the living truth of his sharing as he stood on the pulpit as a living example of a Christian who was responding to the call to go out to disciple all nations.
("So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."John 20:21)
The ER's who went out to Muar are not the most talented or multi-gifted compared to many others. It was evident as they each struggled through their respective tasks. From worship leading for Valencia, to english-mandarin translation for GuiHong and sermon sharing for Samuel, none of them had it easy.
As Paul states clearly, it's not about how many gifts or abilities, it's about living a life which is worthy of your calling. We are called to live worthy lives! Should that not make us want to constantly go forth to do any of God's work and expand the few and limited talents we all possess, rather than do things with ease and living in contentment.
I pray that this minor set-back of having so few mission trip participants would be a one time glitch which would be erased in the coming years when many would arise and create opportunities for themselves to go forth rather than await for opportunities to be created for them to go and serve.
Personally, I've learnt much during this mission trip and my eyes are once again renewed with the truth of how blessed and overly saturated we are and how the fields abroad are lacking of any form of willing harvesters. I'm grateful that I was given the chance to meet up with the older youths such as Joash and Shirley and have had the chance to pray over them. I am reminded of the truth that such youths/young adults represent a new generation that God can use mightily.
I may never get a chance to meet the many people whom I've met in our various mission trips again. So today, I deeply pray over them and the youths of my church that each will end well in their life's journey as they live a passionate life for God that is worthy of the calling of God.
Blessings,
M.
"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." (Ephesians 4:7)
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
I just returned from my second trip to Muar and it has been a blessing to have the chance to meet up with those whom we knew last year again. Like all other mission trips, it was fraught with many changes which required us to adjust flexibily. Fortunately, as relatively seasoned mission trippers, the commanders were able to scale down and improvise because this year, the workshop participants were really young and innocent.
Personally, I'm disappointed that out of so many ER's, only 3 eager hearts made themselves available to the tasks of going to this mission trip. It's such a stark contrast to the eager bethelites who were beaming to leave for their mission trip to thailand. Nonetheless, I'm also truely blessed that these 3 chosed to sacrifice time to go because it spoke volumes of their heart to obey God's commission in their capacity.
Having assigned the 2 guys to preach a sermon and having seen their efforts in preparation, it was a shame to have to tell each of them that they needed to cut their message into a simple devotional closing because for each day, time did not permit them to share what they had prepared with their heart and soul. But, I am reminded of the fact that God looks at the heart and not at the physical. So even though each only presented a skimmed version without the bells and whistles prepared, truely their work done was worthy of praise as it was prepared out of the righteous essence to bless the Muarians.
When Samuel adjusted his sharing to the key verse of John 20:21 and shared that Jesus had told every believer that "I am sending you". I saw the living truth of his sharing as he stood on the pulpit as a living example of a Christian who was responding to the call to go out to disciple all nations.
("So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you."John 20:21)
The ER's who went out to Muar are not the most talented or multi-gifted compared to many others. It was evident as they each struggled through their respective tasks. From worship leading for Valencia, to english-mandarin translation for GuiHong and sermon sharing for Samuel, none of them had it easy.
As Paul states clearly, it's not about how many gifts or abilities, it's about living a life which is worthy of your calling. We are called to live worthy lives! Should that not make us want to constantly go forth to do any of God's work and expand the few and limited talents we all possess, rather than do things with ease and living in contentment.
I pray that this minor set-back of having so few mission trip participants would be a one time glitch which would be erased in the coming years when many would arise and create opportunities for themselves to go forth rather than await for opportunities to be created for them to go and serve.
Personally, I've learnt much during this mission trip and my eyes are once again renewed with the truth of how blessed and overly saturated we are and how the fields abroad are lacking of any form of willing harvesters. I'm grateful that I was given the chance to meet up with the older youths such as Joash and Shirley and have had the chance to pray over them. I am reminded of the truth that such youths/young adults represent a new generation that God can use mightily.
I may never get a chance to meet the many people whom I've met in our various mission trips again. So today, I deeply pray over them and the youths of my church that each will end well in their life's journey as they live a passionate life for God that is worthy of the calling of God.
Blessings,
M.
"But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." (Ephesians 4:7)
