Sometimes in our lives we are called by God to do something. What that “something” is varies just as uniquely as we are. Every work is different, but all of them, of course, are vitally important.
And just as our “somethings” are unique, so are our reactions to the tasks God provides for us. Some of us are eager to begin our new journeys God has called us to, and some develop reservation after reservation. Still, I think most others are somewhere in between these two reactions. We can seem unbelievably scared, pleasantly surprised, extraordinarily shocked, quite hesitant, just plain resistant, nervously excited, or even surprisingly curious.
Again, our reactions to our new missions are as countless as the stars in the nighttime sky. Yet, we all should have one commonality; we should be willing to serve Him no matter what. Our willingness to serve God amidst our own thoughts and plans becomes our individual missions.
The Great Commission encompasses each of our missions, even though every way we serve God is unique. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen,” ( Matthew 28:18-20).
The Lord tells us so plainly our mission in the Gospel of Mark. It says, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” (Mark 16:15). The ways in which we proclaim the Gospel of Christ truly run the gambit. I feel like it is almost incomprehensible for us, as humans, to grasp that myriad. Don’t you? Because truly absolutely anything a believer does to serve God is a mission in itself. Only God knows the number of ways to serve Him.
Missionaries like you and me are called by God to show His love and mercy. That’s our mission. In Acts 26:18 the Bible says, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” And when we put this verse into action, our work does not go void . “But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it,” Mark 4:32.
We all can be missionaries. In fact, we are probably missionaries even if we don’t realize it. It’s so simple to be a missionary. We don’t all have to pack up and travel to distant places to be missionaries. We don’t all have to visit local nursing homes or hospitals to be missionaries, either. In Isaiah we are told, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee,” (Isaiah 60:1).
No matter where your missionary journey takes you, just know that God will never leave you high and dry to complete your task alone. In fact, the Bible says that God will keep us from falling. Jude 24 says,“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” Isn’t that a comforting thought?
With God as our constant guide, we should have no negative reactions to furthering our Christian journeys as missionaries, showing everyone in our paths the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.