For God, By God and With God

We want this trip to be for God, by God and with God.  The best way to do this is to be filled with His Word.  Below is the start of our meditations on His Word to guide us...

John 4:35-38 "I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

 

Be at peace with our role whether it is to sow small seeds or reap a huge harvest.  Really listen to God to see the role he has for us.  No matter if big or small, God can use it mightily for his kingdom. 

 

"So many of us spend our whole lives trying to be a big part of something small, when God has called us to be a small part of something big" (Joyce Myers?)

 

--Via Danielle

 

John 5:6 "Do you want to get well?" 

 

Jesus did not impose goodness on people, but respected where they were at.  We don't need to force feed our Nicaraguan friends we meet.  God is ultimately at work in their lives.  However, if they say "yes", be ready for God to speak through us to them on how they can begin to walk (added by Kyle).

 

--Via Pastor David

 

John 1:39,43 "Come and you shall see," "Follow me". 

 

We don't have to have this huge plan to bring.  Let's simply let them see Christ through our interaction with each other and the way we care for them.  Let's just be ourselves and do what we do, but invite them to join us in it.

 

--Via Kyle

 

John 5:30  "By myself I can do nothing, I do not seek to please myself but him who sent me." 

 

We have to submit more of our selfish desires before God and what we hope to get out of the trip or accomplish with the people and simply be open to what God's leading is for us individually and as a team.  This is where listening really comes into play.  LET'S LISTEN BABY! (Susie really said this)

 

--Via Susie

 

 

John 6:53-59 "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."

 

Unless we internalize him in our being through abiding in Him, we have no life.  We need to abide in Him on a daily basis if we are to radiate life and not a dull version of being Christian.  I think the Church (in global terms) is fed up with experiences of Christian life that fall short of reflecting Him.  May we struggle together to seek Him and dwell in Him so that we can experience the life that He meant for us and in the process bless others.

 

--Via Sarah

 

John 6:45 "Anyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me." 

 

A lot of time we can push our desires with all our might but if we don't see eye-to-eye with God, it is unfortunately fruitless.  A lot of Pharisees and disciples have witnessed Jesus' street performances but they still held doubts because they didn't connect with the Father who sent him.  I am reminded of a book Falling for God by Gary Moon.  There is a chapter on "Learning to Listen" I highly recommend we get to as a group.  Moon points out that we play Bible roulette with God instead of listening for direction.  Don't we all wish bread of life was more like a wheel of fortune?  Wish. Spin. Win.

 

--Via Ji