The New year is before us and several will be setting their New Year’s Resolutions.  I would like to suggest only 3.

Spend more time in awe of Jesus.  Daily meditate on who He is and what He has done for you.  Thrive on His word, in prayer, and worship individually and as the body of Christ….What more do we need?

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ~ 2 Cor 5:21 ESV

Love like He did. Find ways to love those around you.  Sacrifice for your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Let needs of others not go unmet this year.

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers ~ 1 John 3:16 ESV

Be content whatever the earthly result.  Don’t look to your circumstances to find contentment but look to Jesus and trust in Him.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

A middle-aged man has been working as a mechanic in a rough suburb of Chicago for over 30 years.  One day he was having a conversation with a client about the repair on her vehicle.  She proceeded to share the gospel with him in a way he has never heard before; describing God as the greatest mechanic that ever lived and how he has repaired our hearts and lives for Him and for His glory.  The man fell to His knees and gave His life to Christ on the spot.  After that he closed His shop and pursued exciting ways in which he could serve God.  He used his entire life savings to travel on mission trips all over the world.  Soon he ran out of resources and found himself tired and frustrated wondering how he was supposed to serve God now.  He eventually gave up and got a job at his former competitor’s garage doing maintenance work on local school buses.  Now, he spends his days in frustration, filled with bitterness and regret.

None of us like to read or see unhappy endings, but too many times this is reality.  You see this could have been a happy ending.  Sometimes we say “Here I am Lord, send me”, but our minds already have expectations of what that looks like.  In this case, the man was expecting that God was going to make him into something “greater” than he was previously.

He did not truly understand how God had designed him and the ministry before him, but instead took action on based on the people who he thought were “great” Christina’s. So many times this is true with us.  We want to serve, but at the core of that we want the glory to be ours.  We want it to be something that draws attention to ourselves instead of our Lord and Savior.

What would have happened had he sought the Lord first?  He might of heard the Lord tell Him to invest in the local church across the street and start a ministry helping get these idle young man off the street by teaching them to how to be an auto mechanic.  God has a way of not wasting a life-time of gifts, skills, and experiences to serve Him.  Often times, “Send me” means to the same place we are at but in a different way.

Reflection

Be willing to be sent wherever God wants to send you, even if that’s the same place you have been for over 30 years.  Spend a few moments today asking yourself, if God has sent me to where I am now, how can I bring Him honor and glory today.   May God bless and use you to full measure today as you love, serve, and disciple others with the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Prayer

Father, open our eyes to see You and how you have designed us to glorify You.  Show us the ministry of reconciliation You have granted us that employs our skills, abilities, gifts, roles, activities, attributes, experiences, and resources.  May our hearts be content in Jesus, Amen!

Make sure to check out Part 2
#godswill, #sendme