On my Knees

A scribe came, and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”

But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”         Matthew 8:19-22 (WEB)

I have wanted to write this devotion for some time. Every time I begin to write it, I find myself praying and weeping as I cry out to God to meet the needs of missionaries that I know.

All of us are called to be missionaries for Jesus Christ. Our commission is to go and make disciples and teach them His ways. So we are His witness in whatever we do and wherever we go.

Today, I bring our focus on those who have left their homes and gone to live among the people they have been called to serve. They are in the inner cities, the very poor of mountain regions, in foreign countries where they cannot publicly declare their faith or their intentions but they live their lives as a Light in darkness.

On Saturdays and Sundays, Turner Classic Movie and AMC channels often run World War II movies. Yes, most of them are flag-waving, John Wayne/Charlton Heston movies but somewhere in the script most of them ask a character the question: What are you doing to help the war effort? So I pose that to each one of us today: What are you doing to help the war effort? Do not be deceived or naive – We are at war! There is a fight for souls. It does not take an end times student to know that in the eternal time line we are more near to the end than Paul was! So if Paul says:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.        1 Corinthians 15:58 (WEB)

… then we need to be laboring not sitting around!

Answer the call you’ve been ignoring. Do you really fear God more than man? Do you want to stand before God and explain why you ignored the urging of His Spirit to serve because it seemed too hard?

Step forward. Move toward the goal God has given. Increase your prayer as you increase your actions. God will open or close the path to confirm His plan for your life. He is faithful.

Most of us have been called to be part of the “support forces” in God’s Army. We are called to engage in battle on our knees. If you do not personally know missionaries to lift in prayer, send me an email and I will give you a name and location.

And while you are praying, do not forget to ask God where you should make an offering. God provides for His Army and He wants to bless us to be a part of His provision. Eat a piece of fruit for your meal and send that $10-15 to a mission.

Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; who also sealed us, and gave us the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts.     2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (WEB)