“What Is a Missionary?” (Oswald Chambers)

(One of the great devotionals on a missionary I’ve read! — MRP)

As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.” John 20:21

A missionary is one sent by Jesus Christ as He was sent by God. The great dominant note is not the needs of men, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in work for God is behind, not before. The tendency to-day is to put the inspiration ahead, to sweep everything in front of us and bring it all out to our conception of success. In the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, the Lord Jesus. The ideal is to be true to Him, to carry out His enterprises.

Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and His point of view is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary enterprise the great danger is that God’s call is effaced by the needs of the people until human sympathy absolutely overwhelms the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, the conditions so perplexing, that every power of mind falters and fails. We forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary enterprise is not first the elevation of the people, nor the education of the people, nor their needs; but first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”

When looking back on the lives of men and women of God the tendency is to say – What wonderfully astute wisdom they had! How perfectly they understood all God wanted! The astute mind behind is the Mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the Divine guidance of God through childlike people who were foolish enough to trust God’s wisdom and the supernatural equipment of God.

(Go to http://www.myutmost.org to read this wonderful devotional each day.)

“What Is a Missionary?” (Oswald Chambers)

(One of the great devotionals on a missionary I’ve read! — MRP)

As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.” John 20:21

A missionary is one sent by Jesus Christ as He was sent by God. The great dominant note is not the needs of men, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in work for God is behind, not before. The tendency to-day is to put the inspiration ahead, to sweep everything in front of us and bring it all out to our conception of success. In the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, the Lord Jesus. The ideal is to be true to Him, to carry out His enterprises.

Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and His point of view is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary enterprise the great danger is that God’s call is effaced by the needs of the people until human sympathy absolutely overwhelms the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, the conditions so perplexing, that every power of mind falters and fails. We forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary enterprise is not first the elevation of the people, nor the education of the people, nor their needs; but first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ – “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”

When looking back on the lives of men and women of God the tendency is to say – What wonderfully astute wisdom they had! How perfectly they understood all God wanted! The astute mind behind is the Mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the Divine guidance of God through childlike people who were foolish enough to trust God’s wisdom and the supernatural equipment of God.

(Go to http://www.myutmost.org to read this wonderful devotional each day.)

Ignoring that Three-Letter Word (Heustis)

Reed Heustis has written a terrific article entitled “Ignoring That Three-Letter Word” in response to all the political scandals and prevalent corruption found in our political parties. He rightly notes where the true trouble lies.

Very much is said about political corruption these days. Virtually nothing is said about the corruption of Man and that dirty three-letter word, S-I-N.

Die-hard Democrats rant and rave about how corrupt the Republican Party is. True-blue Republicans rant and rave about how corrupt the Democratic Party is. Both point fingers at each other’s corruption. Both are convinced the other party is corrupt to its core.

With elections looming, Democrats are giddy over the possibility of “voting the rascals out” after Republican scandals and corruption have plagued the GOP, which is led by two-term President George W. Bush.

Meanwhile, Republicans warn of the many Democratic corruptions of yesteryear, and point to the specter of a return to more Clintonian shenanigans.

Disgusted independents and third party activists are not immune from this finger-pointing game. Independents rail against the whole “corrupt system,” while third party activists rail against the “corrupt two-party system.”

Everybody screams, Corruption! Nobody remembers the three-letter word.

(Click here to read the rest of this rather compelling article.)