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Editorials
for Winter 2004
Editorial by Anne Faidley
6:30.
My glance at the clock confirmed the messages my stomach had been
sending. It was past time for supper. Burritos were on the menu and
hurriedly, I chopped onions and lettuce, grated cheese, and heated
beans. As I did so, I sneaked a  bite
of food here and there. A slice of cheese. A spoon of beans. A half of
tortilla. By the time I finally sat down for dinner, I discovered I
wasn’t hungry anymore. I had satisfied my hunger with small morsels of
food, rather than waiting for the meal.
The same thing can happen in our spiritual
life. We attempt to fill the God-shaped vacuum in our hearts with many
things…friends, books, movies, fun, activities, success, education.
These things are not necessarily bad, in and of themselves, but they are
poor substitutes for a thriving relationship with our Savior and Lord,
Jesus Christ.
This is an age-old problem. Long ago, the
children of Israel did the same thing. They forsook God, their glory, in
exchange for the worthless idols of the time. In the book of Jeremiah,
God expresses His grief and anger: “ ‘Be appalled, O
heavens, and shudder with great horror,’ declares the Lord. ‘My
people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the spring of
living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that
cannot hold water.’ ”1
When we forsake Jesus, and seek to quench our
soul’s thirst at the broken cisterns and polluted wells of this world,
we will never be satisfied. We long to quench a yearning in our
hearts—that yearning after God. But nothing will…nothing except God
Himself. Running after things of the world does not bring happiness,
only emptiness. As an old hymn says...
I tried the broken cisterns, Lord
but, ah, the waters failed
E’en as I stopped to drink they fled
And mocked me as I wailed.
I sighed for rest and happiness,
I yearned for them, not Thee;
But while I passed my Saviour by,
His love laid hold on me.
O Christ, in Thee my soul hath found,
And found in Thee alone,
The peace, the joy I sought so long,
The bliss till now unknown.
Now none but Christ can satisfy
None other name for me
There’s love and life and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee.1
In Isaiah, Jesus invites: “Come, all you
who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come,
buy and eat!”3 And, again in John: “Everyone who drinks
this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give
him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a
spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 4
Only Jesus can fill our hungry hearts. When we
delight in Him, He will satisfy the desires of our hearts. The psalmist
wrote, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I
desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the
strength of my heart and my portion forever.”5 This should be
our soul’s longing…our heart’s cry. Nothing in all the world can
compare with Jesus and His amazing love.
Oftentimes, however, we look to others to find
our worth…our identity. Proverbs says, “What a man desires is
unfailing love.”6 But each of us are flawed and sinful. There
is only one Person who can love us perfectly—Jesus Christ. When we
realize this and rest in His love, we are free to love others just as
they are. As Gregg Harris put it, “When you let God be God, you are
free to let humans be humans.”
“ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not
want.”7 So begins the most well-known and well-loved of all
psalms. Because of its familiarity, we sometimes forget to pause and
ponder what David is saying here. I shall not want. This means
that I shall lack nothing that I need. God Himself will provide
everything that we need in order to live a life pleasing to Him.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and
godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory
and goodness.”8
“Psalm 23 reminds us that if we belong to the
Lord, then we have a wealth of joy which no material wealth can buy, and
a wealth of peace which no material wealth can provide, and a wealth of
hope which no material wealth can supply—a richness of spirit which
comes only from fellowship with the Good Shepherd, in the assurance that
He is all that we need.”9 In other words, God is more than
enough.
Sometimes, we think, “Well, Lord, I am
content, but…if I just had…” That’s not true contentment!
Contentment is realizing that God has already provided everything I need
for my present happiness.10 “Be content with what you have,
because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake
you.”11 He is the One who is our good and faithful Shepherd,
and He promised to be our Guide even to the end. He longs to be our all
in all. If we have Him, then we have everything we need, everything we
want.
Don’t waste your life running after worldly
pleasures that will never satisfy. You will always come up empty and
disappointed. Don’t wait for others to love you perfectly. They never
will. Instead, fix your eyes on Jesus—your Maker, Defender, Redeemer,
and Friend. He is the only one “who forgives all your sins and
heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns
you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good
things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”12 Without
Him, life is not worth living. In His presence is fullness of joy, and
at His right hand are eternal pleasures forevermore.13
Notes: 1Jer. 2:11-13. 2None But Christ Can Satisfy, B.E.
3Is. 55:1a. 4Jn. 4:13-14. 5Ps. 73:25-26. 6Pr. 19:22a. 7Ps. 23:1, NKJV.
82 Pet. 1:3. 9Sermon by Pastor John Mabray (www.rivermont.org).
10Institute in Basic Life Principles. 11Heb. 13:5. 12Ps. 103:3-5.
13Psalm 16:11, NKJV. All references NIV unless otherwise noted.
Editorial by Laura Faidley
 “Be
a missionary every day.
Tell the world that Jesus is the Way.
Be
it in a foreign city or a busy avenue—
Africa or Asia—the task is up to you.
The Lord is coming soon!
There is no time to lose!
So, be a missionary, God’s own emissary.
Be a missionary today!”1
My childish voice joined the others in that
half-musical, half-shouting way little ones sing. From a young age, I
dreamed of mission trips. Africa, India, China? It didn’t
matter where, except that it had to be a place with children—hurting,
poor, abandoned children who desperately needed love and care. I enjoyed
learning about other countries and doing missions projects. A highlight
of the Christmas season was packing shoeboxes with toys and school
supplies for Operation Christmas Child (Samaritan’s Purse).
That longing to be involved in missions has
grown and changed as I have. The Lord gave me a burden for
people—needy people, poor people, hurting people—not only to meet
their physical needs, but to point them to Jesus, the One who can meet
all their needs. I began to feel strongly that God was calling me to
some kind of mission work. As I studied the lives of great missionaries,
Christ strengthened that desire. I also learned much from corresponding
with a missionary’s daughter in India and seeing her commitment to
Christ.
I thank the Lord for a mother with a heart for
missions and for a missions-oriented church. It has been life-changing
for me to hear missionaries speak, see videos of their work, and talk to
them personally. And I’ve been so inspired by these people’s
courage, faith, and perseverance in serving God, despite persecution. A
longing filled my heart to be Christ’s ambassador to a hurting world.
I enjoyed reading missions updates and praying for missionaries. Through
my mother’s teaching and reading accounts of the persecuted church,
God broke my heart with the things that break His heart. Jesus opened my
eyes to the hopelessness of millions of unreached people. I got on my
knees and cried out to the Lord, Here am I, Lord. Send me!2
A couple years ago, I began to pray that the
Lord would guide me, and that if it were His will, He would work it out
for me to go on a short-term mission trip. Time passed and nothing came
up. I fell into the trap of thinking, I need to go out and do
something for God! Here I am just fixing meals, cleaning house, and
helping my family. I began to see such tasks as unimportant, and
found refuge in my schoolwork. Mother confronted me on this, explaining
that these years at home are a time of preparation—not just in
academics, but also in character, life skills, and service. She told me
that she never sends her children out to serve until they serve
willingly at home. The Lord showed me that it is wrong to spend my time
dreaming about being a foreign missionary when I have not been faithful
serving at home. Jesus doesn’t want us to serve Him in our own
way—with our own ideas and plans. He wants our total submission to His
will for our life.
Christ calls all of us to be His
representatives to the world. “We are Christ’s ambassadors, as
though God were making His appeal through us.”3 The Great
Commission is not just for those “called to the ministry,” but for
all Christians. We have been called out of darkness into Christ’s
marvelous Light. “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my
life, my all.”4 If Jesus has really made a difference in our
lives, we will want to tell others about Him. Great passion for Christ
leads to great compassion for our fellow man. The Lord delights to use
humble, willing, weak people who admit their weakness and glory in
God’s all-sufficient strength. Don’t wait till you’ve
“arrived” in your Christian walk to reach out to others; it’ll
never happen.
To me, a missionary is someone on a mission—a
mission of love and service for Jesus. God made us for a mission—to
point people to Christ. Not everyone can go to China or India or Africa.
But after all, what makes those places so different from our
communities? All people have a longing inside that only Jesus can fill.
All people are sinners. All people need God’s love and grace. And, all
around us, so many people are hurting.
This was a major shift in my thinking, but over
time I began to see mopping the floor as mission work, sweeping the
steps as service, playing with Olivia, one of the little girls we
babysit, as outreach, encouraging my siblings as evangelism. I do not
mean to put down foreign missions in the least. We should support
God’s workers all over the world with our prayers and contributions .
My point is that, wherever we are, God can use us to accomplish His
purposes and further His kingdom. It’s all about our attitude. There
is nothing more spiritual about going on a missions trip than cheerfully
serving your family at home.
Having a servant’s heart is the key.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the
Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance
from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”5 We
should not despise the day of small things. The Lord reminded me that I
must be faithful in little things before I will be ready for bigger
responsibilities. “You have been faithful with a few things; I will
put you in charge of many things.”6 As I began to willingly
serve my family at home, the Lord gradually opened many doors for
service opportunities in our church and community.
Several months ago, a group of twelve girls in
our community formed a service organization. We picked the name,
Daughters of Grace, based on 1 Peter 4:10: “Each one should use
whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering
God’s grace in it’s various forms.” We sat down and thought
about our goals…about what God wanted us to be and accomplish. The
result? Daughters of Grace exists to proclaim the mercy and grace of
God as we serve each other and the community in the name of Jesus
Christ.
The question was where to begin. There were so
many ministries in our community to which we could contribute…so many
hurting people in need of help. One answer came through a friend’s
mother—the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center. Here were girls, many our own
age, who were in desperate situations, and forced to make a very
important decision—life or death for their baby.
We scheduled a tour with the director to see
the facility and discover areas to serve. The hour we spent with her was
eye-opening. As she shared her heart, her passion for Christ and for
helping hurting women was obvious. She told of how, nearly a year ago,
they began to pray for a new building. Miraculously, God worked to
provide a much larger facility, volunteers to fix it up, and donations
of furnishings. “For nothing is impossible with God,”7 she
reminded us.
We also heard the story behind their latest
prayer request—a 3-D ultrasound. Due to the high cost, it seemed
impossible that the center would be able to purchase one, but the staff
trusted the God who can do all things and began to pray. The Lord has
already provided half of the funds for it! I came away from the tour
that day in awe of God. I was overwhelmed and amazed by His faithfulness
and care. I saw first-hand the fulfillment of Christ’s mission in
Isaiah 61—to redeem and resurrect broken hearts and lives. My faith
was increased as I saw that God still works miracles in our time.
Nothing is too hard for God to do—He has all the resources and all the
power. No one is too evil for God to forgive—His love is everlasting.
We began cleaning the center weekly and helping
organize numerous donations of baby items and clothes. We prepared and
delivered meals for new mothers. We helped clean out the ultrasound
room. What else can we do to help, Lord? From that prayer sprang
the idea of a fundraiser for the ultrasound, more specifically a
rockerthon. The girls in our group are getting together soon to rock in
rocking chairs and donate the money earned to the pregnancy center. God
has blessed us greatly in this endeavor! We set a goal to raise $2,000
in donations and per-hour pledges. We have already raised more than
double that amount. When we set our eyes on Christ and work to fulfill
His goals, He surpasses all we could think or imagine!
There is nothing more rewarding than to be used
by God to help people—wherever you are. The glory of God is found in
sacrifice, surrender, and servanthood. If we serve as unto the Lord, we
will please Him and reap eternal rewards. “Whatever you did for one
of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”8 God
hasn’t taken away my desire for foreign missions, but increased it.
However, I’m learning to trust Him with the timing, knowing I can make
a difference now in my own family, church, and community. The Lord
continues to bring new opportunities to serve Him.
“Be a missionary every day…” Every day
means today—and not just if you wake up and find yourself in
Africa or Asia. Missions is not about going somewhere, but about doing
something. You don’t have to go overseas to be a witness for Jesus.
God wants you to introduce people to Jesus Christ and encourage fellow
believers. The bottom line is a life of servanthood wherever the Lord
places you. Will you answer His call? You were made for a mission, your
life has a purpose—do not rest until it is done!
Notes: 1Author unknown. 2Is. 6:8b. 32 Cor. 5:20. 4Isaac Watts.
5Col. 3:23-24. 6Mt. 25:23. 7Lk. 1:37. 8Mt. 25:40. All references NIV.
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