Desiring God by John Piper (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 9 (Missions).
Today we are encouraged to seek joy by being missionaries to the lost.
Three paragraphs at the close of the chapter make a nice summary of the entire chapter: 'These, then, are two great incentives from Jesus to become a World Christian and to dedicate yourself to the cause of Frontier Missions as the twentieth century comes to a close.
(1) Every impossibility with men is possible with God (Mark 10 :27) . The conversion of hardened sinners will be the work of God and will accord with his sovereign plan. We need not fear or fret over our weakness. The battle is the Lord's and he will give the victory.
(2) Christ promises to work for us and to be for us so much that when our missionary life is over, we will not be able to say we've sacrificed anything (Mark 10:29-30). When we follow his missionary prescription, we discover that even the painful side-effects work to improve our condition. Our spiritual health, our joy, improves a hundredfold. And when we die, we do not die. We gain eternal life.'
Great chapter on the joy of missions: 'If your greatest joy is to experience the infilling grace of God overflowing from you for the good of others, then the best news in all the world is that God will do the impossible through you for the salvation of the hidden peoples. "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God."'
Last night my wife and I welcomed into the world our second child, a little girl. What a joy to be used by God to bring such a treasure into the world!
How fitting that today Piper reminds me of another great joy: being used by God to see people born again!
Read Chapter 10 (Suffering).
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
2 comments:
Congratulations on the blessing of a new daughter!
Thanks CJ.
She's a sleepy one, which is lovely :)
Post a Comment