As
a team we start every morning off with an excellent breakfast and a
devotion prepared by one of the team memebers. The passage for my
devotion was Luke 14:15-34 juxtaposing the picture of salvation with the
cost of discipleship. When you look a little closer at the cost of
discipleship you will notice it's not really about 'cost' it's about
choice. When you choose Jesus, you make a 180 degree turn and take
everything that is most important and set it second to Jesus. Luke said
it this way in verse 26: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his
father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes,
even his own life--he cannot be my disciple." It sounds intense but
it's really that you WANT to put Jesus first because he first loved you.
The passage is about love, and appropriately responding to God's love
and sacrifice for us.
As we conclude our work here in Guatemala I look back and see a lot of suffering, poverty, and hopelessness. But more importantly I see God's Love overwhelmingly displayed through the Christian servants here. As you've heard we have two big projects and two small projects we have completed. We built two stoves, one house, and part of a church. In a jungle village far from a paved road we were able to give an old man and his daughter a new home. He had suffered from a stroke and spends his days in a wheelchair. I'm not sure the last time he's had a shower, or even a change of clothes. But after two days of work he had a smile on his face. Although we couldn't communicate very well, the local pastor was able to share the love of Jesus with this family, just as we where able to share a house. At the conclusion of our time the new house was filled with locals and us, all praying over this man in different languages. It was an experience I will not soon forget.
These types of experiences are not common for me in my middle class life in the USA. In fact my life is often far too comfortable, and in that comfort I lose sight of the love that Christ has for me, and replace it with temporary happiness provided through whatever fancies me at the time. I don't struggle with having shelter or food, or a job like the majority of the people in Guatemala. However, the slow deceit of complacency threatens to strangle the life and love of Jesus from my heart and bring me to the boredom of mediocrity. Luke says it this way in verses 34-35 "salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out." This is one of the major threats of our Christian culture in the USA. Lord keep me from mediocrity and complacency whatever the cost! I NEED places like Guatemala, I need to feel the pain of real life and see the real saving grace of Christ. Would one choose to live a life of comfort here on Earth to then forfeit a life in heaven with our God? Let it not be for me! "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith developes perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
Tomorrow we have a day off and although we will spend it shopping for souviners and seeing the sights, our hearts will be on heading home to our families and loved ones. My wonderful wife and child are by far the highlight of my life here on Earth and I can't wait to see them and share our experience here in Guatemala. But more important even than them is living a life sanctified by and for Christ. My prayer is that we can love Christ the way he loved us, and place him first before anything else, regardless of our circumstances.
As we conclude our work here in Guatemala I look back and see a lot of suffering, poverty, and hopelessness. But more importantly I see God's Love overwhelmingly displayed through the Christian servants here. As you've heard we have two big projects and two small projects we have completed. We built two stoves, one house, and part of a church. In a jungle village far from a paved road we were able to give an old man and his daughter a new home. He had suffered from a stroke and spends his days in a wheelchair. I'm not sure the last time he's had a shower, or even a change of clothes. But after two days of work he had a smile on his face. Although we couldn't communicate very well, the local pastor was able to share the love of Jesus with this family, just as we where able to share a house. At the conclusion of our time the new house was filled with locals and us, all praying over this man in different languages. It was an experience I will not soon forget.
These types of experiences are not common for me in my middle class life in the USA. In fact my life is often far too comfortable, and in that comfort I lose sight of the love that Christ has for me, and replace it with temporary happiness provided through whatever fancies me at the time. I don't struggle with having shelter or food, or a job like the majority of the people in Guatemala. However, the slow deceit of complacency threatens to strangle the life and love of Jesus from my heart and bring me to the boredom of mediocrity. Luke says it this way in verses 34-35 "salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out." This is one of the major threats of our Christian culture in the USA. Lord keep me from mediocrity and complacency whatever the cost! I NEED places like Guatemala, I need to feel the pain of real life and see the real saving grace of Christ. Would one choose to live a life of comfort here on Earth to then forfeit a life in heaven with our God? Let it not be for me! "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith developes perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4
Tomorrow we have a day off and although we will spend it shopping for souviners and seeing the sights, our hearts will be on heading home to our families and loved ones. My wonderful wife and child are by far the highlight of my life here on Earth and I can't wait to see them and share our experience here in Guatemala. But more important even than them is living a life sanctified by and for Christ. My prayer is that we can love Christ the way he loved us, and place him first before anything else, regardless of our circumstances.
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