Who am I doing this for?

When I first thought about SBS, even after a few weeks of being here, selfish thoughts overwhelmed the reasons why I wanted to do it, why I wanted to be here. The more and more time I spend in his word, the more he reveals more fuller aspects of his character to me, the more my life is being transformed, the more he is showing me it has nothing to do with me. I’m not here for myself. I’m not here so I can understand the bible more, gain more knowledge of his life giving word, or anything like that. So why am I here – or even a better question who am I doing this for? I’m here for the lost. I’m here for the broken, abused, homeless and dying. I’m here for the future ministries I’ll be involved in, for the DTS that I’ll staff, the books I’ll teach, the bible studies I’ll lead, and the sermons I’ll preach. I’m here for those I’ll be discipling, my unsaved family and friends, my previous and future co-workers, anyone and everyone in my sphere of influence. I’m here for Jesus.

Lord, the next time I’m complaining, struggling, tired of doing work, I beg you – remind me who I am doing this for…

What are you doing? More importantly who are you doing it for?

Snow Mountain

The end of our first quarter is three weeks away and we just made plans for our week long break! We are going with some of the other students and staff on a three day hike up Snow Mountain, the second tallest mountain in Taiwan. It is going to be a time of fun and fellowship while being able to see some of the most beautiful parts of Taiwan. Simply getting out of the city and enjoying God’s creation!!

Final Application- Romans

For each book we have to write an application paper on the most important thing that God taught us while studying the book. My application came from 14:17- “to live out the kingdom of God we need to live in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” God really challenged me to seek Him every morning to see what He wanted me to do, what He wanted me to say and how He wanted me to pray to bring His kingdom to earth. Last November Eric and I took a vow, forming a covenant relationship with two other friends to live out every aspect of our lives in light of the prayer, “thy kingdom come”.

Our Vow:

To Love God- to live a life of unadulterated, unceasing, unashamed worship. (John 4:23-24)

To Love People- to look at people with the eyes and heart of the Father, serving them in humility and proclaiming the freedom of Christ. (Philippians 2:1-5)

To Be the Gospel to the Nations- to fearlessly prepare the earth for the invasion of God. To be spent bearing the burden of ushering “the least of these” into the kingdom of God. (Matthew 11:12)

God showed me that Romans 14:17 was a very practical way to help live this out. The key? It is nothing I can do, but it is all through the Holy Spirit. Praise God, that He is not a God who give us commands and leaves us to fend on our own but scoops us up in His gentle hands and carries us along the way.

I am still learning what living in righteousness, peace and joy look like, but am so grateful that I am not on my own in finding this out.

Grandy's Joy

Its amazing seeing Grandy’s joy and peace in the face of death. We were sitting on her bed today and she said, you know- God’s given me peace. I was scared of dying and then I heard the music to the hymn “Be Still and Know That I am God.” And I realized, its so true. He is God and all I have to do is be still and know that. He is in control. And I wasn’t scared anymore.

What a beautiful picture of God’s goodness in the face of suffering. I went right to my computer and wrote down what she said because its something I want to remember forever. The peace that God has given her to enjoy the days she has life is truly a testament to His provision for his child.

She was very reflexive, talking about her little blue birds (her daughters) and all the things in life she was going to miss. But then she said, but I’m going home. She is holding on to God’s promise that this world is not our home and that one day we are going home to be with our Father, her time is simply coming sooner than ours.