(Friday, January 17, 2014) I find I feel very comfortable with these pastors in India, despite the fact that verbal communication is virtually nonexistent. In many ways it’s like a mother meeting a mother from another culture. Even though they can’t talk, they share a common experience that goes deeper than words. I feel a kinship with the pastors here because we’ve been through the same wars and fought in the same trenches. Some things don’t have to be spoken; no words can really capture what is in the heart.
God has given me a greater opportunity for training than they have, but I don’t see myself as superior to them in any way. They experience situations in everyday life I don’t know if I could handle. Having more Bible knowledge doesn’t make one a better person. Having lived longer and therefore learned some things through experience certainly doesn’t make me superior to them in any way. In fact, there is much they can teach me about commitment, faith and sacrifice. We may be very different, but down inside there is no difference at all.
So why do I do this when, to be honest, I’d rather be at home? I must be a steward of what God has so graciously given me. Paul pretty much sums it all up: So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (I Corinthians 4:1-2)
God has entrusted me with the truths of His Word, not to keep to myself but to pass on to others. Some of you have been entrusted with finances, and the pastor you sponsor is the recipient of what God has given you. For others it may be time to pray, or organizational skills or whatever God has entrusted to you. Remember the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-23)? Each servant was given a resource for which he was accountable. He couldn’t just keep it for himself but had to use it by investing it. The more he was given, the more for which he was accountable. God has allowed me to gain a good understanding of His Word, not just to keep to myself, but to pass on to others. That’s why I’m here.
2 Tim 1:13-14 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you — guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
What skills, training or resources his God given you? In what ways are you using them for others? Are there any ways you could use them even better?
ANSWERED PRAYER: For months I have been praying for God to empower our words (me and translator Moses) so that God’s Spirit impresses them on the hearts of the listeners in a real and powerful way. Each day several pastors come to us and their comments reassure us that this is indeed happening.
PRAYER REQUEST: I’ve woken up at 3:30 AM the past 3 mornings. That gives me plenty of time to pray and process my thoughts, but I’d like to sleep longer! Insomnia is a side effect of the malaria medicine I take daily. It is a problem every time I come here. Pray I’d have enough rest in the hours of sleep God gives me or helps me to sleep longer.