Being A Team Player

All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Acts 2:44-45

Being a part of mission team is a unique experience. After all, people from all walks of life and corners of the globe come together to serve in the same place. There is a good chance that you do not know all, if any, of the people you will be serving with in just a few days. If you do know them, they may not be close friends or anything more than people you met at a meeting about this very trip.

Luckily, you are already bonded with your fellow teammates by virtue of wanting to be part of the same experience. No matter how different your everyday life is, you are all preparing to serve in the same part of the world for the same amount of time for the same purpose. That is not that different from the churches that grew and grew in the book of Acts. The members of these first churches did not all know each other, but they were all united by a common thread – the cross of Christ.

That same passion for the global church is probably what leads you to the mission field. Is there a part of you that longs for the community described in the book of Acts, where all the believers were as one mind and purpose? That can happen during your trip! All you have to do is put the purpose of the mission and the glorification of Christ before your own desires and needs. You have to be willing to submit to your teammates, your mission hosts, and the cultural norms of your chosen mission field.

The most successful mission trips are trips where the team is unite together under the leadership of God. For these next few days, consider how you can be a true mission-team player – what you’re willing to sacrifice and what you’re willing to do to make sure the people you are going to meet see your team as a unified group that loves them, not as a bunch of people with nothing apparent in common. Pray for team unity now and pray for team unity every day until you return from your mission experience.

God is Going to Do Amazing Things

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves,
For tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
Joshua 3:5

Do you really understand the promise of this scripture? It says something very simple and very deep. Whatever is happening in your life today, your tomorrow is up to God. He will continue to work in your life and do amazing things among you. Your response is to consecrate yourself, which means to “dedicate to a sacred purpose.”

This mission trip is just that—you dedicating yourself to a sacred purpose for the duration of this trip. What is that purpose? Your purpose is to do exactly what God would like you to do with every minute and hour. You are to be exactly what God would like you to be for this trip, and to be ready for anything.

But what about the second part of that verse? “For tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Do you really believe that He is capable of doing something amazing in the midst of this trip? Believe it, because He has already planned it and set each person here apart for something special! You are going to be the amazing thing in someone’s life...and someone will be the amazing thing in yours.

So commit yourself to this sacred purpose and be prepared to be changed!

Prepare for Change

He changes times and seasons;
he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
Daniel 20:21-22

The mission experience was designed by God to leave participants different. From the beginning, God has called those who love Him and believe in His promises to be set apart – to be different - and to impact the world in ways that everyone else just doesn’t understand. The mission experience is one that will leave your life changed, if you are willing to give yourself completely over to the experience.

Whether this is the first time you have stepped on the mission field or the hundredth, you have to be willing to give yourself over, even for a short time, to the experience of being away from home, away from friends, maybe even away from family. Prepare your heart now, today, to be changed. Prepare to see life differently, to see people differently, to see God differently. The God that has called you to this trip in is the same God who commands the stars to shine and the moon to rise. The God that has asked you to set apart this week for Him is the same God who breathes life into the wind and reveals Himself on mountaintops. The God of all has asked you to be His vessel this week – to go where He has been waiting and to love those He has created.

The changes will be small at first. A little more patience with others, a little more love to give strangers. And, as the week goes on, you will notice bigger changes…your heart will feel bigger, your body will continue to work long after you think you cannot swing that hammer again. If you are willing to be totally His for the next few days, He will make you a little more like Him. And, that change will last long after you pack up camp and head back to what was once your “normal” life.

Letting God Do His Work

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

If you think you’re going to be in control for the few days you’re on the mission field, you may want to ask God to get rid of those feelings right now. The truth is the only person in control is God and He has things planned that you haven’t even dreamed of yet. Let that sink in for a moment…

He has things planned you haven’t even dreamed of yet.

In your ‘wildest’ dreams about this trip, what do you see happening? Now take that and multiply it by about a million—that is what God sees happening. He knows that something amazing is going to happen, all you have to do is put Him first and let Him have complete control over what is going to happen.

This week, you will be asked to do more, to love more, to believe more, to trust more, to be more patient and understanding and challenge yourself more than any other time in your life. And, in return, you will be loved more, trusted more, blessed more, and changed more than you know.

There is a phrase often used when faced with challenges and opposition: Let Go and Let God. May that be the cry of your heart during this trip. Let go...of your fears, insecurities and impatience... and let God be God.

Desiderata

The next several devotions are going to be based off one of my favorite poems, "Desiderata." Here it is:

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even to the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;

they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe

no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life,

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

People see God every day, they just don't recognize him. ~Pearl Bailey

Did you see God today? Whether you chose to acknowledge him or not, he was there. He was there in the morning sunrise. He was there in the thunderstorms and the rain. He was there when you daughter woke up cranky or your son woke up smiling. He was there when you spouse slipped out of bed long before you awoke, and He was there in the angry driver that cut you off in traffic.

He was there when your boss dropped a last-minute project on your plate. He was there when you had to work late. He was there when you got a promotion. He was there when you were unexpectedly let go. He was there when you said goodbye.

He was there when you came home, exhausted. He was there through dinner and a night off. He was there when you relaxed, when you laughed, when you cried. He was in your phone calls and in your nightly prayers.

He was there.
Did you feel him?

On the Third Day...

I know, it's been awhile since Easter, and I actually do have several posts to type up, but I haven't been on this site this week...still, here is my Easter morning post...a little late...

"He is not here. He has risen, just as he said he would."

I'm not sure there have ever been more beautiful words to read. I can only imagine what it would have been like to experience. The worse moment in history is over and, like all friends and family mourning the death of a loved one, Jesus' family and friends are struggling to get on with their lives. It's a Sunday morning and two women are on the way to the tomb. When they get there, the stone is rolled away. Looking inside, the body is gone! Where did they take Jesus? Why would they take him?

Can you see it? The fear, the frustration, the sadness...they didn't even allow him a proper burial, did not allow His family and friends to mourn. All they want to do is say goodbye, and now it seems they cannot even do that.

Then, those words...

He is not here.

He has risen.

Just as he said he would.

God's promise fulfilled through tragedy and triumph. Death conquered. Peace will reign again.

The world kept spinning, the disciples kept living their lives, all the time the truth ringing in their ears, hearts, and lives. He is risen. He is risen.

Amen.