Category Archives: Thoughts From Scripture

Missions poems and quotes

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A few weeks ago our church had its missions conference, and I had planned some time since then to post some favorite missions quotes and poems. For various reasons I hadn’t done it yet — and decided to do so today:

Away in foreign lands they wondered how
Their simple words had power.
At home the Christians, two or three,
Had met to pray an hour.
Yes, we are always wondering, wondering how–
Because we do not see
Someone — perhaps unknown and faraway —
On bended knee.

–Author unknown

The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.
—Henry Martyn – Missionary to the Muslims of Persia and India

I have seen, at different times, the smoke of a thousand villages — villages whose people are without Christ, without God, and without hope in the world. — Robert Moffat

I am ready to burn out for God. I am ready to endure any hardship, if by any means I might save some. The longing of my heart is to make known my glorious Redeemer to those who have never heard. — William Burns

Scores of casks! And only one missionary!;
Mary Slessor, (1848-1915)Pioneer Scottish missionary to Calabar, part of what is now Nigeria. She made this observation in August, 1876 while boarding a ship at Liverpool that was busy loading casks of spirits for West Africa.

When you think of the woman’s power, you forget the power of the woman’s God. I shall go on.
Mary Slessor, upon being told by a local African chief that it was foolish and dangerous for her, a woman, to travel inland to intervene between warring tribes.

We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God — John Stott

It is the whole business of the whole church to preach the whole gospel to the whole world.– Charles H. Spurgeon

God’s part is to put forth power; our part is to put forth faith. — Andrew A. Bonar

The church that does not evangelize will fossilize.– Oswald J. Smith

God is not looking for a certain IQ.
He is looking for a certain “I Will”.
– Sid Messer

When I came to see that Jesus Christ had died for me, it didn’t seem hard to give up all for Him. It seemed just common, ordinary honesty.
—C. T. Studd (1860-1931)

Send us people with initiative, who can carry themselves and others too; such as need to be carried hamper the work and weaken those who should be spending their strength on the heathen. Weaklings should be nursed at home! If any have jealousy, prides, or talebearing traits lurking about them, do not send them, nor any who are prone to criticize. Send only Pauls and Timothys; men who are full of zeal, holiness and power. All others are hindrances. If you send us ten such men the work will be done. Quantity is nothing; quality is what matters.
FORWARD EVER; BACKWARD,NEVER!
—C.T. Studd – Missionary to China, India, and Africa

Don’t send a lamp to the mission field that will not burn at home.—Unknown

Not one person in the world needs Jesus Christ less than you do.– Unknown

Sympathy is no substitute for service.—Unknown

If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for. — Charles Spurgeon

Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you are alive, it isn’t.— Richard Bach

How often do we attempt to work for God to the level of our incompetency rather than to the limit of God’s omnipotency.—Hudson Taylor

We have a base man-pleasing disposition, which will make us let men perish lest we lose their love, and let them go quietly to hell, lest we should make them angry with us for seeking their salvation: and we are ready to venture on the displeasure of God, and risk the everlasting misery of our people, rather than draw on ourselves their ill-will.—Richard Baxter

I marvel…how I can let men alone in their sins, and that I do not go to them, and beseech them, for the Lord’s sake, to repent, however they may take it, and whatever pains or trouble it may cost me!— Richard Baxter

A Missionary Appeal

There are times when the enemy seems to prevail
And faintness creeps over the heart,

When courage and confidence quiver and quail
At the glance if his fiery dart.

There are times when, exhausted, we can but stand still,
The sword-arm hangs nerveless and numb;

Oh, then to the soul comes a whisper so chill;
“Are they weary of praying back home?”

In the Presence of My Enemies

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One of the books on my fall reading list was Gracia Burnham’s In the Presence of My Enemies. I had heard of it and seen it a few years ago and somewhere read an excerpt from it, but I avoided reading it. I couldn’t face it. I’m not sure why: maybe because it was too fresh, maybe because the people responsible for the Burnham’s captivity were still alive (maybe not the specific people, but the extremist Islamic groups are still active), maybe because in the portion that I read, Gracia was having to deal with something that I struggle with. But our youth pastor saw a DVD presentation of Gracia sharing her testimony at another church where he was ministering and recommended it to me. I ordered it, watched it, and was so touched on so many levels. I then felt that I had to read the book.

For those who might not be aware, Martin and Gracia Burnham were missionaries in the Philippines: he was a missionary pilot who reminded me a lot of one of my church’s missionaries who also pilots a small plane. They had gone for a quick weekend get-away to celebrate their anniversary at a resort. They didn’t usually go to the “touristy” areas, but decided to go this once. During their stay, an Islamic extremist group stormed the resort and took guests and a few staff members hostage. Several of the hostages were able to arrange for ransom and were released after a few months. Some were killed along the way. The Burnhams were held for over a year. Martin was killed in a rescue attempt by the Philippine military and Gracia was wounded.

I don’t want to take away from what she shares on the DVD or in the book, so I won’t go into the details of the story here. I do want to mention just a couple of impressions, though.

As the Burnhams struggled with negative thoughts and attitudes toward their captors, I kept finding myself thinking at first, “But they had a right to feel that way!” I knew better, but that was the thought that kept coming. They had to put into practice the Bible’s teaching about loving their enemies, praying for those who were despitefully using them, in a very real way and only by God’s grace.

I also was grieved that I did not pray for them more. I don’t recall if I prayed for them at all. Often when I hear reports of stories like theirs on the news, I try at least to pray right then in the midst of loading the dishwasher or driving or whatever I am doing. I may have prayed for them in that way, but I don’t remember. The scripture came to mind to remember those in bonds as if bound with them, and I failed to do that for the Burnhams, but this caused me to determine not to neglect that ministry again.

I was also struck by the Muslim group’s twisted sense of logic. They wanted Islam to rule the world so it would be ruled by “righteousness.” They advocated the cutting off of someone’s hand for stealing — but excused their own stealing because they “needed” the stolen items for their cause. When people died in the course of what they did, it was “their destiny.” They had a strong sense of “justice” but saw mercy as a weakness. When discussing that last point with one of their captors, Martin said, “You know, I hope my children don’t take up the attitude you have. I hope they don’t ever shoot some Muslims because of what you have done to us.” The man to whom they were speaking looked shocked. “Done to you? What is my sin against you? I have never done anything to you.” Martin and Gracia could only look at each other incredulously.

Gracia tells of her very human struggles, like depression, anger, and resentment over their situation and the realization that not only was her attitude not helping, but it was hurting. She writes, “I knew that I had a choice. I could give in to my resentment and allow it to dig me into a deeper and deeper hole both psychologically and emotionally, or I could choose to believe what God’s Word says to be true whether I felt it was or not.” That was a turning point for her as she chose to believe God and handed over her pain and anger to Him. I thought how often we get tripped up over pain, resentment, and anger over much lesser things.

She shares also how the Lord provided for them in unexpected ways, how she and Martin encouraged each other, how they had to battle a captive’s mindset, how they were able to talk about the Lord with their captors and other hostages, as well as the details of how she and Martin originally came together as a couple and what happened in the aftermath of her captivity.

One final impression: God’s Word is true no matter what, and thankfully He doesn’t see fit to put all of us through that kind of experience., but when someone who has been through what she has speaks of God’s goodness and faithfulness, the truth of God’s Word and the reality of His Presence….it rings true. There is an authenticity about that person’s testimony. Their faith, their beliefs have been tried in the fires of testing.

I Peter 1:6-8:

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory…

Hungering and thirsting

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My Daily Light reading for this morning included these verses:

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6).

He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness (Psalm 107:9).

I got to wondering why we don’t hunger and thirst for Him and His righteousness more. The answer that came to mind: we’re full of other things. In physical life we can “spoil our dinner” (as my grandma used to say) by filling up with the wrong things; we can develop a taste for junk food and lose our appetite for nourishing meals. We can do that spiritually, too.

This brought to mind a song that some dear friends from PA taught us when they came to live in TX. I’ve never heard it anywhere else. I found the words attributed to Martha Snell Nicholson . It uses a different metaphor but makes the same observation:

 

One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most,
Until I was empty-handed:
Every glittering toy was lost.
And I walked earth’s highways grieving
In my rags and poverty
Til I heard His voice inviting,
“Lift your empty hands to Me!”

So I held my hands toward Heaven
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches
Til they could contain no more.
And at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull
That God could not pour His riches
Into hands already full.

The rest of the Daily Light reading lists His promises to fill us with His goodness when we do hunger and thirst for Him:

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house (Psalm 65:4).

I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst (John 6:35).

He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away (Luke 1:53).

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light (Psalm 36:7-9).

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple (Psalm 27:4).

May we set aside the things that don’t satisfy and seek the One who does.

Self-Acquaintance

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Self-Acquaintance
by William Cowper (1731-1800)

Dear Lord! accept a sinful heart,
Which of itself complains,
And mourns, with much and frequent smart,
The evil it contains.

There fiery seeds of anger lurk,
Which often hurt my frame;
And wait but for the tempter’s work
To fan them to a flame.

Legality holds out a bribe
To purchase life from Thee;
And discontent would fain prescribe
How Thou shalt deal with me.

While unbelief withstands Thy grace,
And puts the mercy by,
Presumption, with a brow of brass
Says, “Give me, or I die!”

How eager are my thoughts to roam
In quest of what they love!
But ah! when duty calls them home,
How heavily they move!

Oh, cleanse me in a Saviour’s blood,
Transform me by Thy power,
And make me Thy belov’d abode,
And let me rove no more.

Bible “One Anothers”

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I thought I had posted this before, but I couldn’t find it. Once I did a word search on the Bible for the “one another” passages that instruct us in how to minister to each other. It was very convicting! Here’s what I found:

Bible “One Anothers”

Wash one another’s feet—John 13:14.
Love one another—John 13:3; 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8; I Peter 1:22; I John 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11.
In honor preferring one another—Romans 12:10.
Don’t judge one another—Romans 14:13.
Receive one another—Romans 15:7.
Salute one another—Romans 16:16.*
Greet one another—I Cor. 16:20, II Cor. 13:12, I Peter 5:14.
Serve one another—Gal. 5:13.
Don’t provoke one another or envy one another—Gal. 5:26.
Bear one another’s burdens—Gal. 6:2.
Forbear one another in love—Eph. 4:2, Col. 3:13.
Forgive one another—Eph. 4:32, Col. 3:13.
Teach and admonish one another with song—Col. 3:16.
Comfort one another—I Thess. 4:18.
Edify one another—I Thess. 5:11.
Exhort one another— Heb. 3:13; 10:25.
Consider one another to provoke unto love and good works—Heb. 10:24.

(* Looking up the Strong’s definition, “salute” means “to draw to one’s self, to salute one, greet, bid welcome, wish well to, to receive joyfully, welcome,” even “retarding” one’s own journey to do so.)

To Behold Thee

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This song stopped in my my tracks the first time I heard it. Thankfully the CD insert had the words, and I replayed this track over and over. The words are written by Elieen Berry, music by Dan Forrest. I’ve never heard it as a choir number or special music — I’ve only heard it on the More Like You, Lord CD by Soundforth. I can’t remember, I may have been going through Jim Berg’s book Changed Into His Image about that time, but I do remember that this song illustrated beautifully the theme of that book, taken from II Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. May the words of this song bless you in “beholding Him” as much as it did me.

To Behold Thee

From weariness of sin I turn at last, O Lord, to Thee
My eyes and heart grown dim from looking long on vanity.
I venture toward thy radiance then, compelled to come by grace
And in the pages of Thy word behold Thy lovely face.

(Refrain)
Face of glory, turned upon me
I cannot but Thee adore.
To behold Thee, O my Saviour,
Is to love Thee more and more.

Each grace in all its fullness on Thy countenance I see.
Great tenderness of mercy, blazing light of purity.
Thine eyes are wells and love and wisdom, settled peace Thy brow,
Before the whole of perfect beauty I in worship bow.

(Refrain)

When someday I before Thee stand, a debtor to Thy grace,
And gaze with heaven’s eyes upon the brightness of Thy face,
Transformed into Thy likeness, all my sin thrust far away,
With millions of redeemed ones I will lift my voice and say:

Face of glory turned upon me
I cannot but Thee adore.
To behold Thee, O my Savior,
Is to love Thee more and more.
To behold Thee, O my Savior,
Is to love Thee more and more.

A good point to keep in mind

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Chris Anderson makes an excellent point to remember in telling people about Christ. So often Christians are prone to “press for a decision” which may be a false decision, just a going through the motions, if the person isn’t really ready to repent.

Light in the darkness

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Last night the daily reading from Joy and Strength compiled by Mary Tileston included the following:

He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him.
DANIEL 2:22

TAKE it on trust a little while;
Soon shalt thou read the mystery right
In the full sunshine of His smile.
JOHN KEBLE

GOD is too wise not to know all about us, and what is really best for us to be, and to have. And He is too good, not to desire our highest good; and too powerful, desiring, not to effect it. If, then, what He has appointed for us does not seem to us the best, or even to be good, our true course is to remember that He sees further than we do, and that we shall understand Him in time, when His plans have unfolded themselves; meanwhile casting all our care upon Him, since He careth for us.
HENRY PARRY LIDDON

To be out of harmony with the things, acts, and events, which God in His providence has seen fit to array around us–that is to say, not to meet them in a humble, believing, and thankful spirit–is to turn from God. And, on the other hand, to see in them the developments of God’s presence, and of the divine will, and to accept that will, is to turn in the opposite direction, and to be in union with Him.
THOMAS C. UPHAM

Then the first verse in the Daily Light selection for today was:

When I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. Micah 7:8

I’m not going through any particularly dark moments just now, but I have lived long enough to know that they do come around from time to time. I stockpile truths like this against the times when I will especially need them.

Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. Isaiah 50:10

What’s the Shape of Your Faith: Spiritual Gifts

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In the continuing series “What’s the Shape of Your Faith,” Heather asks us this week about spiritual gifts. For those who might be unfamiliar with this term, the Bible teaches that God gives gifts in the form of abilities to His followers through which He works in and through the lives of believers. I Corinthians 12 is one of the main passages that teaches about spiritual gifts, though there are others which touch on it. The definitions for some of the individual ones will be discussed later.

Thankfully this is a topic I have thought through carefully at several points in the past. One church we were members of in another state did a very thorough study over several weeks on this topic. A few years ago at our church here we had a ladies’ Bible study using a book which was one of the best I’ve seen on the topic. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name and I am not sure where the book is. I had thought it was from Regular Baptist Press, but I searched and did not see it there. I will see if I can find it later because I would love to share the title with you.

There are things I learned in the wake of those two studies that I would like to share here before I get into my own spiritual gift survey.

First of all, while taking surveys like this can be helpful, there can be variance from each of them because of the way the questions were asked. I would not use any of them as a hard-and-fast diagnosis, but rather a guideline.

Secondly, one danger in a study like this is the possible “That’s not my job” mentality that may arise. There are certain things we are all supposed to do — give, help people, witness, etc. — but some people are especially gifted at it. Sometimes, I can testify, God puts us in situations we’re not gifted to handle — I think in order to cause us to see the need to depend on Him, and so the results will be attributed to Him and not our giftedness. So, while a study like this can be help us to know what types of ministry we might best participate in, ultimately we need to do whatever we feel the Lord is requiring of us every day, seeking His will and strength and grace and power to do it.

One thing to remember is that our gifts are not…foolproof, for want of a better word. There is Scriptural instruction for how we are to exercise those gifts — we don’t receive them fully developed usually. We still have a sin nature we need to battle against every day, and that will sometimes affect our gifts and how we exercise them. And, as we mature, our spiritual gifts should also mature. Why am I even bringing this up? Well, I have sat under those who have felt they had the gift of teaching who I really doubted had that gift. I have seen some who said they have the gift of discernment make errors in discernment. That doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have that gift, but for some reason their correct use of it was skewered. That is one reason there is Bible instruction on how to exercise our gifts

Another danger is that of tending to trust in our gift rather than in Him. This goes along with the preceding point.

A spiritual gift is also not an excuse for negative personality traits. In the former church I mentioned, there was an older man who could sometimes be a cantankerous and get all in a huff over something and “let loose” about it. The questions in that particular study seemed to indicate that the gift of a “prophet” would have that type of personality, so he felt fully justified, even exultant, that that was his gift. Well, first of all, I would disagree that a prophet is like that (the Biblical prophets all had different personalities. One pastor pointed out that many of them ministered at the same time and area, and one reason God raised up different prophets in the same time and place was so that the different personalities and approaches might reach different people), but secondly, as we grow in grace our spiritual gifts will become more refined and Christlike.

One positive thing to remember is that God gives to the body of Christ different people with different gifts to work together to accomplish His will, and they will tend to balance out each other. For instance, a church whose members all have the gifts of mercy and giving, but no one with discernment or administration, will probably run into trouble. So when we get frustrated in committee meetings or business meetings because other people don’t see things the way we do, that may be one reason. But the Lord will guide to the correct course of action.

One last thought: many of the test questions used words like “enjoy” or “take joy in” or the word “easily.” While what we enjoy doing or what comes easily to us may be a sign of a spiritual gift, I think of Moses and all the good reasons he gave God as to why he wasn’t gifted to go before Pharoah and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Yet God told him to go and promised to give him what he needed to do the job. I don’t think there is much record that he enjoyed the process. Paul told the Corinthians that he had been with them “in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” He goes on to say, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” That’s what a spiritual gift is!

OK, now that this post is already too long 🙂 I’ll get to the results of my surveys. 🙂

In the first Spiritual Gifts Discovery Survey that Heather referred us to, my highest results were Faith (20),Teaching (19), Administration/Ruling (15), Discernment and Giving (14), Exhortation and Wisdom (13).

In the second Spiritual Gift Inventory she mentioned, my highest scores were Knowledge (16), Teaching (15), and Administration, Exhortation, Giving, and Wisdom all tying at 14.

In the previous book study I mentioned, I scored higher in Discernment. That may be because the second survey above seemed to define discernment as knowing when demonic activity is present, whereas the previous study I did defined it more as discerning between what teaching is Biblical and what is not. Other studies might put that in the category of wisdom or knowledge. (That’s why I say no one study is foolproof. 🙂 )

In both, Helps and Mercy hover around the middle of the scale, with evangelism low.

That has pretty well been the way it has played out in the other tests I have taken, with maybe a little different order, but those same ones are the ones that keep popping up.

Here are the definitions from the first survey for the ones I scored highest in:

Faith: “It is the special gift whereby the Spirit provides Christians with extraordinary confidence in God’s promises, power, and presence so that they can take heroic stands for their future of God’s work in the church. See Hebrews 11.”

Teacher: “It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables particular Christians to communicate the truths of God’s Word so that others can learn. See Hebrews 5:12-14.”

Administration: “It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christians to understand the goals of a given segment of the Church’s ministry and to direct that area effectively, keeping the Church on course. See Acts 15:12-21.”

Giving: “It is the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christians to offer their material blessings for the work of the church with exceptional willingness, cheerfulness and liberality. See 2 Corinthians 8:1-5.”

From the second site’s definitions:

Knowledge: “The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to discover, accumulate, analyze, and clarify information and ideas which are pertinent to the well-being of the Body.”
This gift is a practical gift. Those with the gift of knowledge are at home in a book or studying. Those with this gift will often spend countless hours researching information. These people are interested in ideas and problem solving through gathering information and studying. Often, those with this gift have a low need for people. On rare occasions, people with this gift will gather vast amounts of information through studying and analyzing personal experience, but the primary method of learning with this gift is reading and studying books and other written materials. Scriptures: Luke 1:1-4; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 12:8; 2 Corinthians 11:6; Colossians 1:10; 2:2-3; 1 Timothy 2:15.

Teaching: “The special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to communicate information relevant to the health and ministry of the Body and its members in such a way that others will learn.”
This gift is a communication gift. People with the gift of teaching enjoy studying the Bible and related materials in order to communicate what they have learned to other Christians. Those with this gift find it easy to organize vast amounts of information in such a way as to make it easy to communicate, understand, and remember. Scriptures: Matthew 7:28-29; 28:19-20; Acts 15:32; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; Ephesians 4:11-14.
Note: Exhortation, Prophecy, and Teaching are considered the communication gifts. The distinctions for each gift are often confused. Often, gifted communicators have a mix of these gifts. Exhortation focuses on personal and practical application of the message or truth being communicated. Prophecy focuses on the urgency and impact of the message or truth being communicated. Teaching focuses on bringing thorough or adequate understanding of the message or truth being communicated.

I think the latter two definitions hit the nail on the head for me. I love studying and researching the Bible. I used to be confused by my scores on “Teaching,” though, because, though I majored in education, I came to feel that teaching was not what I wanted to do. Now, with some physical problems, while it wouldn’t be impossible, the standing in front of a classroom type of teaching is still not what I feel called to. However, one of the previous spiritual gift studies mentioned writing as a method of teaching, and my heart leapt at that. I don’t know how the Lord may use that just yet. He has used it in smaller ways in various opportunities He has given me to write, here, and in our ladies’ ministry newsletter, and on a subscriber list I am on for TM patients and caregivers. If that is as far as He wants it to go, that’s fine.

Discernment, in the sense of discerning whether teaching is in line with the Word of God, comes into play here. I would never profess to be perfect at it, but sometimes during ladies’ Bible studies we will gloss over something in the book, and I’ll say, “Wait a minute…is that saying what I think it is?”

This gift is one for which you have to take the test questions very cautiously. Some of them say thing like, “I can size a person up after first impressions.” There is great danger in being presumptuous with that sort of attitude.

When I first began to serve in the church, it seemed that all the opportunities that came my way involved children’s ministries. While I could do it, and even enjoy it to some extent, I really didn’t look forward to it and often dragged my feet about it. For several years my family was active in Awanas. The one thing I liked about it was that it was something we could do as a whole family, rather than all separating at the door the way some ministry opportunities are. And my husband was really good at it. 🙂 Those two things kept me in it longer than I really wanted to be. But one year the Awana secretary needed a helper. That involved the more administrative behind-the-scenes details: ordering supplies, finding out who earned what awards and laying them out to be given at the end of the night, record-keeping, etc. That changed my outlook dramatically — I felt as if I had finally found my niche. That was one of my first clues, really, about God’s gifting people for different ministries. It was like a light bulb came on. Nowadays the Lord has used that primarily in the ladies’ ministry at out church. When it first began in the format it is now, another lady headed it up. Because I was interested in it, I asked questions and offered comments and help. When her family moved away, I was asked to take over. I really feel more comfortable as a “second banana” implementing the outworking of the various things we do, arranging for speakers and activities, etc. I’m not really comfortable as a leader and don’t feel I inspire or motivate people to action (which seems to be the definition of a leader.) I don’t think I have the personality to be the out-front person. Many times I have wished the other lady would move back and we could go back to the way it was before. 🙂 But I do feel confident that this was the Lord’s will for me these last few years and have seen Him work through me in that ministry. But if He wanted to raise up another leader and put me back as assistant, I’d be more than willing. 🙂

I think maybe because of seeing the Lord’s working in many of the different situations I mentioned earlier, plus reading many missionary biographies, it doesn’t seem hard now to trust the Lord to do things. When my husband has come to me at times with concern over a job situation, there has been a rock-solid conviction that the Lord will take care of us. Oh, there has been some measure of concern as to how it will all work out. But ultimately he enables me to trust in the fact of is control, provision, guidance, and protection. This may be where the scores for the gift of “faith” have come in. I have to confess, though, that I have more trouble trusting the Lord fo smaller everyday things than for the major crises of life. Silly, isn’t it, that I can trust Him with the saving of my soul and the care of my family and then wobble over things like helping me to find a bathroom when we are traveling. 😳

I do love to give, and not just money. I love looking for just the right gift for someone. I can’t understand when people give gifts without any thought as to what the recipient might want or like. The Lord has been using this in two ways. One is our church’s missions closet which we take missionaries through when they visit our church. Just recently a missionary my husband took back there picked up a small set of tools and said, “I almost bought these, but didn’t. May I take these?” Sure! It gives me a lot of joy to be used in that way. The second area is the missionary Christmas gift collection that our ladies’ groups sponsors for our church. We do ask the missionaries for ideas, and then make up lists that our folks can sign up on for what things they would like to contribute. I can sometimes drive myself (and my husband, I’m sure!) crazy with the details of that, wanting to get just the right thing, making sure the gifts are even among family members, etc. But overall I love it.

I have to confess, though, that I don’t always give sacrificially. I do love to give, but I like to have, too. 😳 And I have to learn that running over the budget to give is not exercising that gift in the best way, but praying over it and exercising discernment in what to give and being willing to do so sacrficially is something I need more of.

Whew! Are you still reading? Pat yourself on the back for me. 🙂

I would encourage any of you who want to discern what your spiritual gifts are to try different ministries within the church and your sphere of influence. That and other people’s feedback, along with studying the Word of God, are the best ways, I think, to see where you “fit” within the body of Christ. And you do fit somewhere.

Thanksgiving Reading

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I thought that this week before Thanksgiving would be a good time to share several Thanksgiving- related items in my files. Next week a lot of people will likely be busy with preparing for the holiday or traveling, so I wanted to go ahead over several days this week and share some things with you.

If you are interested in Thanksgiving devotionals, poems, clip art, etc., here are some great sites:

Elisabeth Elliot has Thanksgiving For What Is Given in her Nov./Dec. 1985 newsletter, A New Thanksgiving in the Nov./Dec. 1987 one, An Overflowing Cup in the Nov./Dec. 1991 one, and To Offer Thanks Is To Learn Contentment in the Nov./Dec. 1995 one, A Dog’s Thanksgiving in the Nov./Dec. 1998 one. (Update 11/5/2020: The Elisabeth Elliot.org site has undergone a complete overhaul. These no longer link directly to the newsletter, but the newsletter can be downloaded from the site).

Annie’s Pages have tons of idea. The Make This a Different Thanksgiving page has some great suggestions near the bottom of the page.

More Thanksgiving -related content on this blog:

Thanksgiving Bible Study
Some Thanksgiving quotes are here.
More Thanksgiving quotes are here.
Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation is here.
Thanksgiving “funnies” are here and A “Redneck Thanksgiving” is here.
Thanksgiving poems are here and More Thanksgiving poems are here.