I am sitting on a boat traveling between two islands off the coast of Colombia. As I am looking out at the water, the Lord starts speaking. I am reminded that we are just visitors sojourning in the land, to use a biblical phrase.
There are two places in the world that are home away from home for me. Laurel Ridge Camp in the mountains of North Carolina and the island community of Bocachica, Colombia. They are home away from home because they are places where I feel part of a family and enjoying serving. I am taken away from the everyday things of life. They are places of hard work and great blessing.
I think the Lord takes us out of our routine places to shake us up and drop scales off of our eyes. They are times and places where we are called on mission. It may be for only an hour or for years. The locations can be across the street or across the world. The point is to allow the Lord to have His way.
For me, the Lord has used these times to remind me of Jesus’ call on my life and the lives of all believers. We are called to be in the world and not of it. We are called to be ambassadors in the land. We, in America on the most part, have become lost in the day to day of our lives. We forget the call to take Christ to the lost and dying world in the midst of busyness. We think, I’m doing my part let the professionals take care of the mission ministry. I give to my church. I give to missions organizations. Isn’t that enough?
Most of us will not spend our lives on the foreign mission field. But that does not let us out of the call of missions. We can spend time serving the Lord in short term mission trips and even that does not free us of the call. God has called us to love, serve, worship and praise Him. Sundays and mission trips are just times of more intense times of service in a life of service.
It is not all about what we do or how often. It is about being in a life of relationship with Christ. As we are in relationship, we will serve, we will go, and we will speak. Not to earn salvation, but to bring glory to Christ and to show our love for Him. Salvation through Christ not only brings takes us out of a life in opposition to God; delivers us from sin, death and hell; but also places us under a calling. We are called to be in service to the Lord with our lives. We have a purpose and calling. The bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” The bible also says in Ephesians 2:10 that the saved “… are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We are called to a live a life of purpose and to live in the land, but we have a mission.
I am glad the Lord uses these times of mission trips to shake me up and to remind me that this world is just my temporary home. I can enjoy my home and my time here. I’m called to make the most of it, but the longing in my heart should remind me, I am not home. Let us all go and serve as often we hear the call. Go build in a third world country. Go and reach out to the needy across the country. But Lord, help us not to be too busy or caught up to see the needs of those in our own home, at work and across the street. Remember were are just sojourning in the land for a short time. Watch and listen for you do not know when Christ will return. Until then let us serve with our eyes on the Lord, our hearts open to others, and our hands busy in the work.
Geoff Gentry
Bocachica, Colombia 01/23/2011
