Discipline

It has been a busy few months. I am sitting here reflecting on how blessed I am.  I have had the opportunity to go on a relaxing wonderful vacation to Colorado where I truly was in awe of God’s glory and I have been able to complete my class on World Missions and learn so much.  Most importantly, this class has confirmed over and over my “call” to world missions.  During our last class we watched a video with a panel of amazing missiologists who talked about the process of becoming full time missionaries.  They stressed the importance of being certain that this is what God wants you to do, as you will be attacked.  I sat there watching this and tears were in my eyes, because I truly am certain that this is what God wants for me and I am going to continue to move forward.

 Discipline; that is a hard word to even type.  We live in a world without a lot of discipline but as Christians we are called to be different.  Part of the process and transition towards full time missions is learning discipline and I believe I need a lot of work in this area.  I am tempted to write self-discipline as I know I need to discipline myself, but it is really God disciplining me and giving me the strength to make the right choices as well as forgiving me when I make the wrong ones.  I was extremely convicted when I read this in one of my textbooks:  “One key qualification of missionaries who have made an impact is self-discipline. It takes discipline to maintain an effective devotional life, it takes discipline to develop regular Bible study habits. That discipline carries over into other areas of life: the proper use of time and money, etc. The word discipline comes from the same root as “disciple.” Ultimately the key issue is discipleship. Six times in the Gospels we find the Lord’s emphasis on this imperative for all believers, but especially for prospective missionaries: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Lk. 9:23). This could not be referring to salvation since it is a daily matter. He is talking about the necessity of self-denial and putting self to death in the life of the true believer. This is basic to preparation for missionary service. Much of missionary failure goes back to inconsistency in this issue.” 

I am really humbling myself here; I struggle with discipline in all of these areas, devotional life, bible study, time and money.  So, my prayer request is that you would pray for me to have discipline in these areas of my life and for God to reveal to me when I am lax. 

Another prayer request is for the trip to The Gambia, West Africa.  Pray for God to put together the team that He desires and will use.  Pray for funding.  Pray for the fulltime missionaries there and the people we encounter.  Pray for God’s word to penetrate that small country.  We are still several months away, leaving 9/5/14 but preparation is in full swing.  I will be going to Harrisburg, PA the headquarters of ABWE (the organization I am going with) in June for a medical missions conference and I look forward to having the opportunity to meet many of their missionaries including those leading this trip.  Pray for that trip as well as my trip in May to Nicaragua to visit with the Perrys and Harbinsons who are full time missionaries there. 

You are all in my prayers, please email me specific requests.