The garden she is still
producing. Carla brought more tomatoes
up for processing; we are making a pizza/spaghetti/lasagna sauce for the coming
winter months.
Have a few more peaches to can,
and might get some more. They don’t last
long in this household, fresh or canned.
Not much else happening, Steven
has his credentials to drive the school buses and just needs a bit more
training. Haven’t heard just when Rose
will be taking her driver’s test, but she should do well – Dad and Mom weren’t
going to let her try until they were confident in her skills.
Teresa is settling down into her
new job and Deed will be going into her new assignment the first part of
October.
Crazy shifts and hours will have
to be worked around as we go into the holiday seasons.
Come to think of it, I guess
there is quite a bit happening.
Galatians
2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who
seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to
me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the
heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
Another powerful chapter;
showing the workings of the early church and the interaction between the leaders
of the church. The sharing of truths and
the chastising of those that would modify it for their own purposes.
What stood out, to me, this
morning was the realization by these men that they had separate missions –AND
that was okay. Paul, Titus and
Barnabas’s mission was to the non-Jews while James, Cephas and John ministered
to the Jews. They blessed each other and
encouraged each other and each went their own way, secure in the knowledge that
God was blessing and using each in turn.
The significance of this verse,
to me, shows the plans that God had all along to bring all of us into His
family. Each had the responsibility and
was commanded to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but each had a different
mandate from God in the way and/or the people they were required to preach
to. Each must fulfill that
all-encompassing command as well as their individual mandate in order to please
Him.
Not just the Jews, but all
people were to be invited into the family.
It is no different from the
mandates He gives to us. Each of us has
the responsibility of reaching others for Christ. But we are not responsible for everyone, just
those that God has brought to us - so they might hear what we have to say about
Him.
Our mission field is wherever we
are at the moment. While we may have a
calling to provide His Word to somewhere far removed, or in a position different
from where we are now, it doesn’t negate the command to serve Him, now; until He
has finished preparing us for the other mission.
1 Peter
3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you
a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and
fear:
Where we work, where we shop,
where we play are all mission fields open to us to share the Gospel with
others.
While it is true that many
companies, and especially governments, are requiring no religious ‘proselyting’
it still doesn’t prevent us from living a life filled with the Holy Spirit and
being ready to give an answer to those that ask how we overcome our problems and
relate that to whatever is troubling them.
It may have to be away from the
job, or some other requirement that seems unfair to us – but our life can speak
volumes - a positive attitude that is focused on doing the right thing and
showing others Christ’s love can allow the Holy Spirit to present an opportunity
where we didn’t realize one existed.
We but need to be open for His
guidance and follow His lead.
Nope, not easy.
We have to be attentive and we
have to have a strong relationship with Him.
It may take time, but if we are willing to submit to Him, we will see
those opportunities and He will help us give the Gospel message, in an
appropriate form, to them.
Christians in oppressive nations
where even mentioning Christ, His Word or anything pertaining to Him can cause
them to be persecuted and thrown into prison for years – yet, they share his
Word, they share the salvation through Christ, and men and women come to
Christ.
Their mission may be in a hidden
church service in the basement of a building, or a jail cell where the only
contacts they may have is with their tormentors – yet, God honors their
commitment and their dedication to His Son He uses their testimony to strike at
the hearts of the offenders.
The oppressor may not yield, but
some may and others may come to realize the truth - and for that Christian, that
circumstance becomes his mission field.
We are not responsible for the
results of our witnessing; we are only responsible to God, to obey.
We sometimes forget that and can
get discouraged when all around us is in chaos and no one wants to hear about
the God that sent His Son for our salvation and the Holy Spirit for our comfort
and growth.
The mission, for Christians, is
following God and the Holy Spirit’s leading, not the end results – that is the
responsibility of those who hear us and it is their decision to act on the Holy
Spirit’s pleadings, not ours.
In following Christ, you go your
way, I will go mine. My right hand of
fellowship and blessings on your ministry is given – I ask of you the same. In going our separate ways, dedicating
ourselves to the mission given us, God will reach many more people than if we
both traveled the same path.
Later, Art :-)
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