Start Where You Are

Tennis legend Arthur Ashe once said:

"To achieve greatness, 

start where you are, 

use what you have, 

and do what you can."

These are good words when it comes to living in a rhythm of mission, Jesus style.  We're never going to know as much or do it as well as Jesus did, yet living in such a way that others are able to catch glimpses of God's goodness and love is what he calls his children to do.  

Start where you are
The last words that Jesus spoke to his disciples before being taken up to heaven were about beginning their mission without him.  He told them to not leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came, then he said:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes  on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. ACTS 1:8

The disciples walked back to Jerusalem and waited.  Jerusalem was their starting point.  So...wherever you are, that is your starting point!

Use what you have
I am reminded of Gideon (Judges 6), where an angel of the Lord appeared and told Gideon that "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."  The Lord was now calling Gideon to leadership and said:

Go in the strength that you have and save Israel... 

Gideon replied: My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.

The Lord answered, "I will be with you and you...

When doing the work of the Lord, we are never to be working solely in our own strength.  He calls us to use what we have, knowing that He will be with us. 

Do what you can
Do you ever feel inadequate or unprepared to do the work of the Lord?  We're just called to do what we can to show kindness to others in such a way that it opens the door for the message of the Gospel to be shared.  

...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.  

MATTHEW 25:40

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and willing to share.

1TIMOTHY 6:18

As the gospel takes root in a person's heart, the hope is that it will have the same transforming effect so that they too will be people who are able to:

Start where you are - - Use what you have - - Do what you can

Faith is a Matter of Trust

Where lies the secret strength of faith?

This question was part of my devotional reading for today from "Morning and Evening" by Charles H. Spurgeon.  He goes on to write: 

"It lies in the food it feeds on; for faith studies what the promise is - an emanation of divine grace, an overflowing of the great heart of God; and faith says, 'My God could not have given this promise, except from love and grace; therefore it is quite certain his Word will be fulfilled.'  Then faith thinketh, 'Who gave this promise?'  It considers not so much its greatness, as, 'Who is the author of it?'  

In fact, this is the primary work that God has given to people.  

Jesus said: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”  JOHN 6:29

...but more than that, it is to believe God.  

 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God,
and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  ROMANS 4:3 

The ultimate temptation is not to cause us to do wrong,
it is to cause us to disbelieve the Lord and
to cause us to not trust Him.  

The value in knowing the Lord, knowing His Word, knowing His faithfulness throughout all generations, is to believe Him.  This is not merely believing in Him, in the possibility that He will do what He says.  It is BELIEVING Him and knowing that what He has promised will certainly be done in the fullness of time.  

When we look at life from an eternal perspective, we gain a clearer understanding of how the Lord works.  Whenever tempted to think that the Lord is not responding to a particular situation satisfactorily, I try to broaden my view to see what He is working out for eternity.  Just because I cannot "see" what is happening in any particular circumstance, does not mean that He has ceased to be faithful.  My view is so limited!

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  HEBREWS 11:1

Hebrews 11 gives examples of many ancients who have been commended for their faith.

Where are you trusting God when you cannot see what He is doing?  

Set Apart for Sacred Use

www.kingjamesbibleonline.org

Over and over again, I return to John 17... my favorite chapter in the Gospels. As Jesus is praying to the Father on that final day, he is very clear about the meaning eternal life.

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.  JOHN 17:3

Then he prays for those who will carry his message into all the world.  These words are timeless, spoken about the disciples at that time, and spoken for us at this time who are carrying the message.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.  For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.  JOHN 17:17-19

Have you imagined your life as set apart for sacred use?  

This is what Jesus is praying for his disciples then, and now!  Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  The instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God.  As we read it, hear it, take it in and apply it...  Jesus goes on to pray:  

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message

JOHN 17:20

God's work of sanctification is not only for us, but for those whose lives we will impact with the grace that God is working in and through us.  The Lord is calling us to bear fruit that will last for eternity!

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.  This is my command: Love each other.  John 15:15-17

Take in God's Word every day!

Not only will it be a blessing in your life,

but also in the lives of others you touch with God's love.