ON A MISSION
Where are we going? What are we about? What is our purpose? What do we stand for? What is our vision? What are our goals?
These are all excellent questions whether we are talking about the church or ourselves. As United Methodists, the answers to these questions should be simple and clear. It is best summed up in our mission, “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
We have a story to tell, a story of a risen Savior, full of grace and love!
But if that doesn’t give you enough to go on, maybe this prayer I came across will sum it up better for you. It is my prayer and I hope it will be your prayer, too.
A PRAYER
I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast, I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let us slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, not give up till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problems recognizing me.
Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Jimmy |