“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me” ~ Psalm 138:8a
Over the last year there have been many times when I have asked God, “What am I doing here? Am I doing any good at all?” It seems that I increasingly see pain, brokenness and sin around and in me. But I’m supposed to be a minister of reconciliation, to preach the gospel in word and deed, to be a part of “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on EARTH as it is in Heaven.” Where is the fruit of that labor?
As I read this verse, God answered many of those questions. The fruit is me. It is my sanctification and that is precisely what I am doing here – being sanctified, made into the image of Christ, prepared to be His Bride. As I teach transformational development principles, microfinance and the Bible, I am the one who really changes as a result of my work. My mother, a gifted teacher, has often told me that as she prepares for Bible studies and teaches them she is the one who learns the most, not the students. That same principle works here – as I toil and labor for God’s Kingdom, as I enter into the pain of those around me, as I speak into the lives of people here, I am the one who experiences healing, reconciliation and sanctification.
God has placed us in relationships – 4 key ones in fact:
1. Me and God
2. Me and myself
3. Me and others
4. Me and creation
As a result of the fall, all of those relationships are broken. But Christ came to reconcile all things to Himself and He gave us the work of reconciliation. Here is some reconciliation that is happening in me:
1. God has grown in my heart – His glory has become more delightful to me, His law has become more wonderful to me, and His deeds have become more praiseworthy to me.
2. I have learned more and more to establish my identity, security and hope in Christ, not in achievement, approval or acceptance.
3. God has blessed me with relationships with people from many different cultures and has given many opportunities to show and receive love, forgiveness and grace.
4. I have begun gardening and as I compost and improve the soil, that is actually reconciling a relationship between me and the earth. Until now, I’ve never appreciated insects and critters, but they help the compost to decompose faster so I now get excited about them. I am being reconciled to earth worms and millipedes and dirt!
Over the last year there have been many times when I have asked God, “What am I doing here? Am I doing any good at all?” It seems that I increasingly see pain, brokenness and sin around and in me. But I’m supposed to be a minister of reconciliation, to preach the gospel in word and deed, to be a part of “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on EARTH as it is in Heaven.” Where is the fruit of that labor?
As I read this verse, God answered many of those questions. The fruit is me. It is my sanctification and that is precisely what I am doing here – being sanctified, made into the image of Christ, prepared to be His Bride. As I teach transformational development principles, microfinance and the Bible, I am the one who really changes as a result of my work. My mother, a gifted teacher, has often told me that as she prepares for Bible studies and teaches them she is the one who learns the most, not the students. That same principle works here – as I toil and labor for God’s Kingdom, as I enter into the pain of those around me, as I speak into the lives of people here, I am the one who experiences healing, reconciliation and sanctification.
God has placed us in relationships – 4 key ones in fact:
1. Me and God
2. Me and myself
3. Me and others
4. Me and creation
As a result of the fall, all of those relationships are broken. But Christ came to reconcile all things to Himself and He gave us the work of reconciliation. Here is some reconciliation that is happening in me:
1. God has grown in my heart – His glory has become more delightful to me, His law has become more wonderful to me, and His deeds have become more praiseworthy to me.
2. I have learned more and more to establish my identity, security and hope in Christ, not in achievement, approval or acceptance.
3. God has blessed me with relationships with people from many different cultures and has given many opportunities to show and receive love, forgiveness and grace.
4. I have begun gardening and as I compost and improve the soil, that is actually reconciling a relationship between me and the earth. Until now, I’ve never appreciated insects and critters, but they help the compost to decompose faster so I now get excited about them. I am being reconciled to earth worms and millipedes and dirt!
