(no subject)
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
2 Corinthians 5:19-21
…he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Hey everyone,
So, this past week was full of hustle and bustle, but this coming week is going to be just teeming with the same kind of activity you’d expect to find in a bacteria-loaded slide under a microscope. Okay, perhaps not quite that much, but it seems pretty packed.
As many of you already know, I will be doing college ministry in Philadelphia in the near future; you may also know that I haven’t moved quite yet. This has been frustrating, because every fiber of my body wants to be over there in The City, and not here in The Not-City. I want to start working with students and almost all of my thought and energy has been geared toward this single goal.
Then God goes and hits me with what some of us would call the proverbial two-by-four, reminding me of something I heard about two years ago: “bloom where you are planted.” I enjoyed that phrase quite a bit, but I don’t know if I’ve ever really really taken it to heart. For instance, right now I’m all geared up for my “tomorrow,” which is working in Philadelphia. But, Philadelphia is NOT where I am right now and I feel like I can’t do anything until I get there. Um, hello?
I would imagine that the Lord would have us geared up to do ministry no matter where we are or what we are doing… Essentially, to bloom where we are planted so that we may be a fragrance to those who don’t know Christ, regardless of where we are or where we want to be. Here’s the crazy thing that God did to point out to me rather blatantly that there are people HERE in my current sphere of influence that need to hear about Christ. Just the other day, a guy came in to fix our air conditioner, and I ended up having a choppy conversation about God with him for an hour. I wasn’t expecting it at all and although I don’t think I did so hot, I sure hope that God planted a seed and I pray that He nurtures it somehow. If I were in Philly, that wouldn’t have happened. That’s a big *SMACK* in the face!
See, regardless of what we’re doing or where we are, as Christians, it is our job to be representatives of Christ - or, more precisely, ambassadors. What’s an ambassador do? They are official messengers who stand in to represent a government or king to another government or king. Everything they say and do are marked as being representative of their homeland/king. We as Christ’s ambassadors ought to shine forth the light of Christ and the love of God regardless of where we are. Being a missionary (or doing ministry) is not about what you do, but who you are because of Christ. You could be working at Panera Bread, or a coffee shop, or even a huge office building and still administer the Gospel.
I can only pray that this is something I will constantly remember as I wrestle with wanting to be in a different city to “start” my ministry.
I pray that each of us would really take hold of our identities in Christ, knowing that we are not only His beloved children, but also His ambassadors… I also pray that, as we go through each day, we would have eyes to see the opportunities God puts before us to minister to others and share His love with them. I ask that the Holy Spirit gives us all strength and wisdom to do that, to be bold and unafraid. May we always be transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ.
In love and in Him,
Your sister,
Yvonne
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
2 Corinthians 5:19-21
…he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Hey everyone,
So, this past week was full of hustle and bustle, but this coming week is going to be just teeming with the same kind of activity you’d expect to find in a bacteria-loaded slide under a microscope. Okay, perhaps not quite that much, but it seems pretty packed.
As many of you already know, I will be doing college ministry in Philadelphia in the near future; you may also know that I haven’t moved quite yet. This has been frustrating, because every fiber of my body wants to be over there in The City, and not here in The Not-City. I want to start working with students and almost all of my thought and energy has been geared toward this single goal.
Then God goes and hits me with what some of us would call the proverbial two-by-four, reminding me of something I heard about two years ago: “bloom where you are planted.” I enjoyed that phrase quite a bit, but I don’t know if I’ve ever really really taken it to heart. For instance, right now I’m all geared up for my “tomorrow,” which is working in Philadelphia. But, Philadelphia is NOT where I am right now and I feel like I can’t do anything until I get there. Um, hello?
I would imagine that the Lord would have us geared up to do ministry no matter where we are or what we are doing… Essentially, to bloom where we are planted so that we may be a fragrance to those who don’t know Christ, regardless of where we are or where we want to be. Here’s the crazy thing that God did to point out to me rather blatantly that there are people HERE in my current sphere of influence that need to hear about Christ. Just the other day, a guy came in to fix our air conditioner, and I ended up having a choppy conversation about God with him for an hour. I wasn’t expecting it at all and although I don’t think I did so hot, I sure hope that God planted a seed and I pray that He nurtures it somehow. If I were in Philly, that wouldn’t have happened. That’s a big *SMACK* in the face!
See, regardless of what we’re doing or where we are, as Christians, it is our job to be representatives of Christ - or, more precisely, ambassadors. What’s an ambassador do? They are official messengers who stand in to represent a government or king to another government or king. Everything they say and do are marked as being representative of their homeland/king. We as Christ’s ambassadors ought to shine forth the light of Christ and the love of God regardless of where we are. Being a missionary (or doing ministry) is not about what you do, but who you are because of Christ. You could be working at Panera Bread, or a coffee shop, or even a huge office building and still administer the Gospel.
I can only pray that this is something I will constantly remember as I wrestle with wanting to be in a different city to “start” my ministry.
I pray that each of us would really take hold of our identities in Christ, knowing that we are not only His beloved children, but also His ambassadors… I also pray that, as we go through each day, we would have eyes to see the opportunities God puts before us to minister to others and share His love with them. I ask that the Holy Spirit gives us all strength and wisdom to do that, to be bold and unafraid. May we always be transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ.
In love and in Him,
Your sister,
Yvonne