|
 Musings of a
Missionary
by: Vivien
Gatpandan
It's June! As we enter
the half way point of 2007, take a
moment with me and reflect on
Switchfoot's This is Your Life
(2003) lyrics:
This is your life are
you who you want to be?
This is your life is it
everything you dreamed that it would be,
When the world was
younger and you had everything to lose,
Everything to lose.
Are you who you want to
be?
We all had dreams. And
then there was reality. And there was
our past. And there is NOW. Are you who
you want to be - at this moment?
As young children, some
of us may have had it good. Personally,
I came from a loving close-knit family
with supportive parents, aunts, uncles,
grandparents, and cousins who saw me
through my growing up years. And then
there are some of you who did not have
it that way. Some of you may not know
who your parents are, or you could have
been born in an abusive home, or in a
family where drugs was a way of life.
When we started seeing
what was out there outside of our sphere
and our comfort zone, you may at some
point have said, “I’ll NEVER do that!”
or “I don’t want to be like that!” Where
are you now? Are you “all grown up” now
and are you really not doing what you
said you didn’t want to do? Are you who
you want to be?
“Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation; old
things have passed away; behold, all
things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).
Fortunately for us, we
need not dwell on the past. We can’t go
back to the past, but we definitely
could learn from it. What’s so great is
that we have hope in Jesus Christ! When
you accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour
of your life, you became a new creation!
Does it happen overnight? Hmm…for some,
maybe. For most, it takes time.
Our old selves like to
creep in once in a while. Once a
thief always a thief. Once a drug
dealer, always a drug dealer. Once an
alcoholic, always an alcoholic. Once an
abusive spouse or parent, always
abusive. NO!! That’s not what
the Bible says! God, the Alpha & the
Omega, the Beginning and the End, knows
what was and what is to come? Who would
you trust more and who are you going to
believe? A science that is continually
evolving or the truth that can set you
free? Are you doing your share in
letting Christ be the driver of your
life and you following and obeying what
He asks of you?
We had goals as kids. Do
you have goals as Christians? What are
you doing about it?
“Is it everything you
dreamed that it would be?”
What do we want to pass
on to the future generation?
We will tell the next
generation
About the Lord’s power
and his great deeds
And the wonderful things
he has done…
So that the next
generation might learn them
And in turn should tell
their children.
In this way they also
will put their trust in God.
(Psalm 78:4, 6-7)
The fact that it’s an ugly world out there does
not mean we have to live in fear. God is with
us. Through the struggles that we’ve gone
through and still go through, God can be in
control, we just need to let Him take a hold of
our lives. We can’t change the past, but God can
change the future.
At Teen Challenge, we come alongside men and
women who have strayed from God’s path. Why does
Teen Challenge have an 86% success rate for
people who completed the program? Because we
don’t just cure the symptoms, we look and dig
deep for the cause – the stronghold of sin in
each person’s lives.
(continued...
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Hi
everyone! It's a new month and I just
want to praise God for all His Grace and
Mercy. His love and faithfulness are
unfailing. We have been out here for two
months now and it is going by faster
than we can keep up. There are so many
things to be grateful for. I do not know
where to begin.
