Our Lives as Well

In my team church we are studying 1 Thessalonians.  Yesterday the passage we read in chapter 2 hit me upside the head with conviction, encouragement, and a reminder of grace.  I want to share a couple of those verses with you.

“We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts… We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else”

Wow.  First of all, I can not say that the first one is always true of my in my missionary journey.  Especially when I write blogs and newsletters to supporters back at home.  I want so badly to receive recognition and for someone to tell me that I’m doing a good job.  I’m a sucker for affirmation.  And yet, I really know that if not one other person knew what I was doing here, the Lord would call me to do the same thing… to love on these girls, to serve them, and to share the Gospel with them in every chance that I get.

“Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

This second one is about to become our house’s theme verse.  Just last night we were walking out the door to take someone we barely know to the hospital and I looked at Kate and said, “but our lives as well.”  Sometimes the Lord interrupts our lives, interrupts our normal, and asks us to give more of ourselves than we had signed up for originally.  Sometimes he brings street kids to our door when we’re tired and feeling ornery.  Sometimes taking kids to church makes it hard to stay after and make friends of our own.  Sometimes he asks me to love people who smell bad, or who are throwing up.  And its easy to think, “Lord I’ve done enough.  I’m here right?!?”  But He who called us to Honduras called us to share not only the Gospel, but our lives as well.  In Honduras, in North Carolina, in full-time ministry jobs or if I go home and work at Starbucks.  “our lives as well…”

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”

And I was so convicted as I read this last verse that I so badly want for people to see Jesus and His Gospel when they see me.  Especially in a position like the one I have, sometimes I see that the girls accept what I’m saying only b/c of my education, my leadership over them and because I have been kind to them.  I never want them to accept the Gospel because of my human word.  I long for them to know that it is the TRUTH b/c it is the Word of God at work within them and given to them by the One who loves them far more than I ever can and who is far more faithful than I will ever be.  So pray that when people look at me, at my roommates, at my team, that they will not see us, but only Jesus.