When we encounter a great experience, we tend to want to share what we've gone through so that our audiences can get a piece of what we felt in hopes of them having the chance to do the same. To me, this vicarious experience is what missions is all about. By spreading the words of God to different sorts of people in different sorts of ways, meaningful messages of the Gospel can be shared. Whether the listener/recipient successfully takes on the Christian faith or not, the fact that good deeds were done in the name of Jesus Christ remains at the core of missions. Missions provide previously nonexistent opportunities and serve as the helping hand to people who are unconscious of the revelation that they need salvation.
As a follower of Jesus, I believe that it is my duty to be a messenger of God through whom people can be saved. It's essential to be selfless and not hoard all of God's love to myself. Because the idea of missions is to share and spread, I must be mindful at all times that through acts like missions, I need to put my necessities below those of others and serve with a grateful heart. For if we believers who already have faith in the Lord don't act upon our callings, then who will?
How do we truly give everything and depend on God fully?
ReplyDeleteAs Omar mentioned yesterday, we won't really be giving up everything; it's not like the worldly parts of our lives fall apart once you choose to depend on God. However, we can choose to depend on God fully by basing our foundation on Him and giving all glory to Him. When we decide to truly "give everything" to God, He will present us with bigger rewards than what we "gave up". Realizing that the root of all causes and results is God is something that takes place once we fully depend on Him. If we choose to obey, things will straighten out and God will take care of everything that needs to be taken care of.
DeleteDo you think that it is possible to spread the word of God without actual talking about God? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteI like to believe that "walking the walk" beats "talking the talk". Taking actions and showing people God's love ironically speak louder than words themselves. Although words of comfort have a huge impact on people and are the main medium by which we communicate, physically being there and simply listening to someone going through depression can very well convince that person of God's love in an equal, if not more efficient, way. Exemplifying what God would have done in actions is a great way to spread the word of God without directly talking about God.
DeleteWhat you said about "walking the walk" beating the "talking the talk" reminds me of James 1:19, that says "be slow to speak quick to hear". It's interesting because while most people think of hearing as a natural skill we all learn, it's described here almost as an action. I'm curious to what you think about the first chapter of Love Does, "I'm with you." What did you think Bob's story about running away to Yosemite had to do with Jesus, and how can you apply/ relate it to your life?
DeleteWhen I was answering Suzan's question, I actually had the first chapter of Love Does as a reference to my answer. Who Randy is and what Randy did for Bob examplified what Jesus would have done as I mentioned in my answer. Bob was able to feel that Randy loved him because Randy was actually present with him, going through struggles as he was going through struggles without any complaints or discouragements. And all this, Randy did while he had just gotten married, which goes even further to prove my point. This is pretty applicable to my life because sometimes, I just need someone there for me. It doesn't have to be a heartfelt discussion or an outpouring confession, I just need someone like Randy who'll respect my privacy and accompany me.
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