Joshua 1:10-15
So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: "Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.' "
But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: 'The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.' Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise."
I remember the times of my student years, when we need to pray and fast intensively for the matric season for the harvest and the uni camp was basically a time for us to prepare ourselves for the season. As in any other ventures in God's Kingdom, it is the same. When we go into our exam hall, we need to prepare beforehand. When we start sharing in cg or when we start teaching others, we need to prepare. And we need to get our stuff ready, and not wait till the last minute to get them ready. I truly thank God that I have prepared myself sufficiently for this transitional period. It wasn't the 'best' that I hoped for but I prepared myself spiritually and mentally for this transition. It will be good, as this is where God wants me to serve in.
Looking at the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manesseh, calling them to go into the Promised Land with the rest of Israel can be a great sacrifice. Especially when we just got settled down and suddenly God asks us to come out of our comfort zone, it is something of big proportion to our own personal self. Yet I sometimes wonder if we are ready to come out of our comfort zone and be ready to sacrifice for the Kingdom of God. Sometimes, it's promising, seeing how brothers and sisters from all over the world going to places they had never thought they would go and began missionary works there. Sometimes, there are people who are willing to quit their work and go into areas God called them into despite the uncertainty. Yet sometimes, I see brothers and sisters insisting that they want to concentrate on their worldly work and refuse to move out of their comfort zone to do what God would have wanted them to do.
Sacrifice. It is a big word. I have been thinking a lot about this word and the other word called missions. I attended the Called For Mission workshop during the uni camp and responded to the challenge from Ps Ben to go for church planting in Kuching. I think I want to be serious about it and think about how I can go about doing this, with much prayer. Julian said it well, missions should be part of our Christian growth and Christian experience. I was quite motivated by this. Thinking about how brothers and sisters in Malaysia are having so much burden and going all over the places to plant and pioneer churches, hearing how our South America team has been doing their best for God in the mission field, I seriously want to give it a serious thought and start preparing myself for it. It's not about the Great Commission, but about why Jesus came in the first place. Ps Ben told us that there are quite a number of people group which have not been reached by the gospel yet. There are areas in the world where the gospel will never reach unless through deliberate effort. Come to think about it, I bought into the Hope vision, so why not do it?
But are we ready to sacrifice our comfort in our home and go and make disciples of all nations? This is a serious question that I thought we have to seriously consider. And we have to seriously pray about. There was one pastor who spoke at our mission conference few years back. She said that time God told her that she had responded too many times, it's time to really go. I think a lot of us have responded far too many times for missions, it's time we truly pray and do something about it.
So we need to pray. First, maybe I think I have to pray for God to enlarge my heart so that I can have the burden to make the sacrifice to go for mission. Heart preparation. It's important.
But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: 'The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.' Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise."
I remember the times of my student years, when we need to pray and fast intensively for the matric season for the harvest and the uni camp was basically a time for us to prepare ourselves for the season. As in any other ventures in God's Kingdom, it is the same. When we go into our exam hall, we need to prepare beforehand. When we start sharing in cg or when we start teaching others, we need to prepare. And we need to get our stuff ready, and not wait till the last minute to get them ready. I truly thank God that I have prepared myself sufficiently for this transitional period. It wasn't the 'best' that I hoped for but I prepared myself spiritually and mentally for this transition. It will be good, as this is where God wants me to serve in.
Looking at the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manesseh, calling them to go into the Promised Land with the rest of Israel can be a great sacrifice. Especially when we just got settled down and suddenly God asks us to come out of our comfort zone, it is something of big proportion to our own personal self. Yet I sometimes wonder if we are ready to come out of our comfort zone and be ready to sacrifice for the Kingdom of God. Sometimes, it's promising, seeing how brothers and sisters from all over the world going to places they had never thought they would go and began missionary works there. Sometimes, there are people who are willing to quit their work and go into areas God called them into despite the uncertainty. Yet sometimes, I see brothers and sisters insisting that they want to concentrate on their worldly work and refuse to move out of their comfort zone to do what God would have wanted them to do.
Sacrifice. It is a big word. I have been thinking a lot about this word and the other word called missions. I attended the Called For Mission workshop during the uni camp and responded to the challenge from Ps Ben to go for church planting in Kuching. I think I want to be serious about it and think about how I can go about doing this, with much prayer. Julian said it well, missions should be part of our Christian growth and Christian experience. I was quite motivated by this. Thinking about how brothers and sisters in Malaysia are having so much burden and going all over the places to plant and pioneer churches, hearing how our South America team has been doing their best for God in the mission field, I seriously want to give it a serious thought and start preparing myself for it. It's not about the Great Commission, but about why Jesus came in the first place. Ps Ben told us that there are quite a number of people group which have not been reached by the gospel yet. There are areas in the world where the gospel will never reach unless through deliberate effort. Come to think about it, I bought into the Hope vision, so why not do it?
But are we ready to sacrifice our comfort in our home and go and make disciples of all nations? This is a serious question that I thought we have to seriously consider. And we have to seriously pray about. There was one pastor who spoke at our mission conference few years back. She said that time God told her that she had responded too many times, it's time to really go. I think a lot of us have responded far too many times for missions, it's time we truly pray and do something about it.
So we need to pray. First, maybe I think I have to pray for God to enlarge my heart so that I can have the burden to make the sacrifice to go for mission. Heart preparation. It's important.
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