October 26, 2011
Jesus said to them again, ’. . . As the Father has sent Me, I also send you’ —John 20:21
A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in our service for God is behind us, not ahead of us. 
The tendency today is to put the inspiration out in front— to sweep everything together in front of us and make it conform to our definition of success. But in the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, and is the Lord Jesus Himself. The goal is to be true to Him— to carry out His plans.
Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and to His perspective is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary work the great danger is that God’s call will be replaced by the needs of the people, to the point that human sympathy for those needs will absolutely overwhelm the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, and the conditions so difficult, that every power of the mind falters and fails. We tend to forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary work is not primarily the elevation of the people, their education, nor their needs, but is first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ— “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . .” (Matthew 28:19).
When looking back on the lives of men and women of God, the tendency is to say, “What wonderfully keen and intelligent wisdom they had, and how perfectly they understood all that God wanted!” But the keen and intelligent mind behind them was the mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the divine guidance of God being exhibited through childlike people who were “foolish” enough to trust God’s wisdom and His supernatural equipment.
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October 26, 2011
Journal Entry for Today-JDV
Lord, this lesson you have been teaching me about your love and grace is wonderful and overwhelming at the same time. However, if I am not to try and BE righteous by reading my bible, praying and helping others, and if I am not to try and “be a good Christian” or become a “better person” then where is my motivation?
And God says…”You are truly motivated by the grace and knowledge of how much I love you. Do not pray to love Me more, pray to know how much I love you. And while you cannot truly fathom (this side of heaven) just how much I do love you, you are and will continue to be transformed by this growing knowledge. I cannot and do not accept you and love you “more” because of your own efforts, regardless of your motives. I love you and can accept you because of Jesus. Trust in Jesus. And your works that follow become acceptable because it is Jesus living through you.“
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