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WHAT SHALL I DO WITH MY LIFE?”
From: Ron Hawks
Among the blessings in this ministry are the emails we receive. Many react to the Notes, some tell what God is doing in their lives or a message He's laid on their hearts, and others share prayer requests. But a growing number speak of discouragement and frustration. They come from all walks of life. Pastors write of hardened churches, missionaries speak of financial need, and ministers question the direction they once had. People worry about losing jobs or finding work, problems in a marriage or with children, and being sick or alone. Many can't enjoy today because they fear what may happen tomorrow.
In each of these, there is a recurring, though often hidden question: "What shall I do with my life?" I can see it firmly embedded between the lines. "I thought I knew...when the church was happy...when I first came to the mission field...when my job was rewarding... when we were first married...when I was healthy...younger...could walk without pain ..." and on and on. The vision we once had for our lives...the one we held dear and believed God had ordained...now seems distant or confused.
I've found in my life that these feelings come most when I can't see that I am making a difference. Whether it's a ministry or a marriage, we want to make an impact and in return, we want to be appreciated. Take Ciloa, for example. Whenever there's a lull in speaking engagements or seminars, if our books are not selling well, or our funding declines, I wonder, "What are we doing wrong? Why can't we encourage these people? Should we pack it in and look for something else to do?"
In the end, it all comes down to how we see the question, "What shall I do with my life?" If we actually believe it's "my" life, we're doomed from the beginning. From the moment we became Christians, we chose to follow God. We promised to give up "my" life, with the goals, expectations, and influences of this world, to take on a new life, one directed by His goals, expectations, and influences. Ah, but we still long to make that difference in someone else's life. We still want to hear, "Thanks".
There are two things I want you to remember here. First, the path God has given us will always have difficulties. They may come through a stranger or someone close, but each is influenced by this world. And what did Jesus warn about the world? It hates those who follow Him, will persecute them, even kill them, and all without cause or reason (John 15:19-16:3). Expect to have difficulties. Second, God is working through you, even when you are not aware. Christ is in those who follow Him and He has given them glory, not for them to use but for the world to see. (John 17:20-23) Expect it to be useful.
Many years ago a missionary in Africa returned to his native land, discouraged from the lack of funds, supplies, and interest in his work. He spoke wherever anyone would have him, eventually raising enough help to continue the work he loved, work that brought fifty years of struggle and heartache. He had successes, but often they appeared as lonely islands in a sea of disappointment.
Yet through him...many men, women, and children came to Christ, the Bible was translated into their language so they could read and understand, more missions were founded, education and medical relief were provided, and the Gospel reached the remotest regions of the continent. Even after he retired, crowds would come to hear him speak, people would stand and cheer. The chiefs of African tribes sought him out, as well as The Lord Mayor of London, Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Queen of England. Though he had not realized it, God used him to touch so many lives that upon his death, the Prime Minister of South Africa said, "Among missionaries, there was none greater, none holier."
This man was Robert Moffat. You've probably never heard of him, but you've heard of the work God did through him. Much of the missionary efforts in Africa today stem from what this man did, but one of his greatest impacts came when he made a difference and didn't realize it at the time. Once while speaking in Britain, he said, I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been. A young man in the audience heard those twenty words and his life was changed forever. He became known as the "Pathfinder of Africa". His name was David Livingstone.
Regardless of the difficulties we face, God is with us. When our vision becomes blurred and our lives are confused, He tells us to be patient. He sets the path before us and though we may want to cling to where we are or where we want to go, He alone answers the question, "What shall I do with my life?"
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1
Take care and be God's,
Chuck
Ciloa ... Encouraging one another as long as it is called Today!
From: Ron Hawks
Among the blessings in this ministry are the emails we receive. Many react to the Notes, some tell what God is doing in their lives or a message He's laid on their hearts, and others share prayer requests. But a growing number speak of discouragement and frustration. They come from all walks of life. Pastors write of hardened churches, missionaries speak of financial need, and ministers question the direction they once had. People worry about losing jobs or finding work, problems in a marriage or with children, and being sick or alone. Many can't enjoy today because they fear what may happen tomorrow.
In each of these, there is a recurring, though often hidden question: "What shall I do with my life?" I can see it firmly embedded between the lines. "I thought I knew...when the church was happy...when I first came to the mission field...when my job was rewarding... when we were first married...when I was healthy...younger...could walk without pain ..." and on and on. The vision we once had for our lives...the one we held dear and believed God had ordained...now seems distant or confused.
I've found in my life that these feelings come most when I can't see that I am making a difference. Whether it's a ministry or a marriage, we want to make an impact and in return, we want to be appreciated. Take Ciloa, for example. Whenever there's a lull in speaking engagements or seminars, if our books are not selling well, or our funding declines, I wonder, "What are we doing wrong? Why can't we encourage these people? Should we pack it in and look for something else to do?"
In the end, it all comes down to how we see the question, "What shall I do with my life?" If we actually believe it's "my" life, we're doomed from the beginning. From the moment we became Christians, we chose to follow God. We promised to give up "my" life, with the goals, expectations, and influences of this world, to take on a new life, one directed by His goals, expectations, and influences. Ah, but we still long to make that difference in someone else's life. We still want to hear, "Thanks".
There are two things I want you to remember here. First, the path God has given us will always have difficulties. They may come through a stranger or someone close, but each is influenced by this world. And what did Jesus warn about the world? It hates those who follow Him, will persecute them, even kill them, and all without cause or reason (John 15:19-16:3). Expect to have difficulties. Second, God is working through you, even when you are not aware. Christ is in those who follow Him and He has given them glory, not for them to use but for the world to see. (John 17:20-23) Expect it to be useful.
Many years ago a missionary in Africa returned to his native land, discouraged from the lack of funds, supplies, and interest in his work. He spoke wherever anyone would have him, eventually raising enough help to continue the work he loved, work that brought fifty years of struggle and heartache. He had successes, but often they appeared as lonely islands in a sea of disappointment.
Yet through him...many men, women, and children came to Christ, the Bible was translated into their language so they could read and understand, more missions were founded, education and medical relief were provided, and the Gospel reached the remotest regions of the continent. Even after he retired, crowds would come to hear him speak, people would stand and cheer. The chiefs of African tribes sought him out, as well as The Lord Mayor of London, Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Queen of England. Though he had not realized it, God used him to touch so many lives that upon his death, the Prime Minister of South Africa said, "Among missionaries, there was none greater, none holier."
This man was Robert Moffat. You've probably never heard of him, but you've heard of the work God did through him. Much of the missionary efforts in Africa today stem from what this man did, but one of his greatest impacts came when he made a difference and didn't realize it at the time. Once while speaking in Britain, he said, I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been. A young man in the audience heard those twenty words and his life was changed forever. He became known as the "Pathfinder of Africa". His name was David Livingstone.
Regardless of the difficulties we face, God is with us. When our vision becomes blurred and our lives are confused, He tells us to be patient. He sets the path before us and though we may want to cling to where we are or where we want to go, He alone answers the question, "What shall I do with my life?"
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. John 14:1
Take care and be God's,
Chuck
Ciloa ... Encouraging one another as long as it is called Today!
