MOLDED INTO THE IMAGE OF JESUS
We are beginning our first day of conferences today. There are been lots of changes and ‘bumps’ in the road, but that is to be expected.
This is a great ministry for an energetic, ambitious, outgoing young man who loves to travel and meet new people. If you know me, you know that does not describe me! There is only one reason I do this: I know God wants me to do it. I am committed. It is the hardest, most draining and difficult thing I do.
He knows that I do not have the personality needed for this work, so why does He call me? He gives me the privilege of doing this special work because it is His tool to mature me and make me more like Jesus. A good stone carver has various tools for different processes as he forms a piece of marble into a beautiful statue, so God uses various circumstances in our lives to transform us into the image of Jesus. India is a major tool He uses in my life. Change and growth are painful. I am never more drained or out of my comfort zone then when I am in India. I am never more blessed then when I am In India. It is the hardest thing I do, but the most rewarding thing I do.
This is my 11th trip here to India. I’ve been thinking about how the current ‘me’ compares with the ‘me’ who first came here. I have far less confidence in my own abilities to execute the responsibilities than I did in the earlier years. Who am I to help these dedicated men amidst the challenges and circumstances they face in life and ministry? But I do have all the confidence in the world that God will help me communicate in writing and speaking. God gets all the credit for the wonderful things that happen through this ministry. What I have learned through the years has come by His hand, so even that, I cannot take credit.
God does the same thing in your life. Do you feel ill equipped for what you need to do? Is there something in your life that brings you pain, and God is not removing it? Are you discovering you have less confidence in yourself but more faith in God to take you through the difficulty? God is using it to make you more Christ-like, if you are committed to follow and obey no matter what happens. Then watch Him work in your life! Sculpting is a painful process for the stone, but it makes something of eternal worth.
That is the process. Are you in or out? (January 14, 2018 Vijayawada, India)