A Heart for Missions

The quickly approaching Cross Conference I'll be attending with many others my age from around the country has my mind racing with this phrase, "a heart for missions." What is meant by this? Who has it? Well that can be summed up easily: As followers of Christ we are all called to serve him and in doing that we are to share his gospel and expand his kingdom. You may be asking, "If we are all called to serve him and share, does this mean we should all have a heart for missions?" And the answer is, drum roll please... (I am ferociously tapping on my lap at the moment, just picture it in your head) YES! It is yes. We should all have a heart for missions because if it is in fact filled with Christ and his love then we should be wanting to serve his greater call upon our lives. 

Now, I am not meaning by this that we all should be selling our stuff, raising the money, and purchasing plane tickets to fly off to the nearest foreign country with people groups needing to be reached, but to realize that we are called to aid in this mission in whatever ways we are able. We can reach people in our communities that do not know Christ, if we have the funds we can support those that feel the call to go overseas to reach those people groups, or we could go ourselves. There are many ways to get involved but there is one crucial thing we all must participate in if we are to reach these people for Christ: prayer. 

We all must be in prayer for the people serving (which in case you haven't figured it out by now is us all) and the ways we can reach and serve those around us. God will reveal to us how we are able to aid in this. But let us go to him, so we he may reveal to us and open the opportunities for his spirit to work through us in reaching those that have not heard or believed and for his spirit to be softening the hearts of those people so they may hear and respond. 

I recently received an email from Cross con about praying for workers. Though this has been on my heart for awhile, it’s what lead me to writing this. There are 2.9 billion people without access to the gospel and Jesus commands us to pray. So I encourage you, as I was encouraged even more by this call to be praying for workers. Be praying that God may rise up people to go and reach these people groups and be in prayer for how you might be able to serve in this mission where you are if you are not called to go. I ask also that you be in prayer for this conference that thousands of college students from all around are attending that God might raise us up to go and help fulfill his mission and that he will do incredible things through this conference for his glory!

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." -Ephesians 3:20-21

Peace in the Holiday Madness

 Here I am in the middle of my fifth holiday season in the retail life at Old Navy (I refer to it as holiday season because of all the craziness that is involved from November to January. I'm not leaving out Christmas, trust me I make sure every customer is left with the words, "Merry Christmas" from my lips.). This year as I began, I was honestly not excited at all for what was to come. I feel like I've been placed in this apathetic mindset of not being excited for Christmas and all it has to bring, because of what I deal with when I enter the treacherous mall doors (if you have worked retail you would understand), and the overly materialistic society we live in.

Then on my way to the war zone in my car one day, "O Holy Night" came on my shuffle and as I began to sing along (be glad you weren't listening so your hearing is safe) I began to really listen to the words. I've heard this hymn so many times throughout my lifetime, but I was just paying extra close attention I guess this particular time. It began to soften and humble me as I was listening and singing. I started to think upon the night that Christ was born, though I wasn't there, but about the excitement of the coming savior that everyone must have felt and that we still feel today and something that I have lost somewhat this year. 

Then I reached the part of the song, "His law is love and His gospel is peace," and began to just revel in that and the peace found in Christ. Though I was working retail in this craziness of secular Christmas, I had peace in Christ and I recognized I should be preparing for the celebration of his coming.  I should be showing his love to my customers, no matter what they say to me (like telling me to take tips on how to do my job), and maybe help them realize why we celebrate this season of giving and what ultimate gift was actually given to us all if we come to know and understand it. So as we all enter into the final week before Christmas, let's relax and enjoy Christ's peace in our lives and understand how we may be able to calm the madness of the holiday season by focusing on him from whom it comes.