AUGUST 25, 2014 POCKET DEVOTIONS ILL WAIT FOR MINE 1 CORINTHIANS 3:14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. Thoughts for Today: A friend asked me recently, When you go on these mission trips, arent you afraid of getting hurt or dying? I said, No. He couldnt accept my answer, so he probed. He said to me, What difference will what youre doing make fifty years from now? Nobody will remember your name. I told him I didnt care, and besides my goal wasnt recognition by man. Then I told him the story of a man I met who went to China to visit the area where his grandparents had once been missionaries. Decades before, his grandparents brought the Gospel to area near the coast of China. Unfortunately, his grandfather was executed when the communists took over the country and began to violently persecute Christians. The grandmother had survived, barely escaping with the mans father who was an infant at the time. Throughout his life the man had the burning desire to see the place where his grandfather had lost his life. So a few years ago, when he turned 50, he went to China. Somehow he found the village and the church his grandparents had established. Through a translator he discovered his grandfather was still remembered and revered for his courage. You see the seeds of faith his grandparents first planted had survived the communist purge. The Gospel might have been forced underground, yet it continued to flourish. Now, without overt oppression, the church was growing even faster and believers numbered in the thousands. New churches were being founded and Christianity had spread throughout the region. The man was greatly encouraged. His grandfather had not died in vain. I have purposely not used any names in this story, because in China it is still not completely safe to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. However, regardless of the lack of identity, what the grandfather built has survived. How? Why? Because of its foundation. Remember, none of the effort we expend will matter in the least, unless it is built upon the foundational work of Jesus. The example weve looked at today reveals that when we build on His secure foundation, the quality of our workmanship becomes obvious over time. In other words, it survives! Questions to Ponder: So whats in it for us? Why go to another country to endure pain, humiliation, sacrifice, perhaps even death just to share the Gospel Message? Because if we build upon the foundation God has given us in Christ Jesus, we will receive the most glorious reward of all. We just wont see it until we get to heaven. I am very patient. Are you? Do you want your reward now and recognition today, or for all eternity? Ill wait for mine. What about you?
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 10:14:03 +0000
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