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LeeLive 08-03-32 Live the Call Embrace
God's Design for Your Life Wanda Lee New Hope,
2006, 222 pp., ISBN 1-56309-994-2 |
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Wanda Lee is
executive director of Woman's Missionary Union, perhaps the largest organization
of lay people in the world. She has
also served as a pastor's wife, nurse, and missionary. In this book she urges us to discover God's
best by living the life to which he calls us.
Each chapter includes questions to think about at the end. "Purpose in
life fuels passion for the things we spend our time doing. As believers we become driven by a passion
to know and understand God's specific will for our lives. Knowing and understanding the mission of
God provides focus and direction. It
helps us see the roadblocks preventing us from becoming all God is calling us
to be. It also becomes the stabilizing
force when everything else around us may be in chaos." (16-17) Chapter 1. What's Worth It? "Deep down
we want our lives to count for something, to somehow make a lasting
difference in the world, to leave behind a legacy worth following. We want to believe there was a reason for
our being born, something much larger than ourselves that will inspire us to
stretch for that which is beyond our normal reach. For in doing so we think we can finally
know why we are here in the first place." (25) "God's call
is not a one-time event that is limited to a location. His call is to a way of life--a life of
serving others in whatever place we find ourselves, regardless of the
obstacles we may face; a way of moving us closer toward an understanding of
what makes life worth it." (29) "Hurry
sickness--trying to cram too much into an already overfilled day--has become
the priority. When we allow busyness
to define what life is worth, it leaves little room for hearing what God is
calling us to do…." (32) Chapter 2. Living and Active Words "Knowing
God's heart comes from knowing His words, which become our guide for
living." (39) "Once we
understand His mission we are better able to discern who we are, why we are here,
and what He wants us to do." (40) "…the first
priority in our lives must be to love God holistically with all our heart,
soul, mind, and strength. Out of that
love will flow a deep love for others and a genuine desire to demonstrate
that love in all aspects of our lives." (44) "As we take
on the Great Commandment--loving God above all else and others as ourselves--only
then can we reach out to the world and follow the instruction of the Great
Commission." (47) "When I
read the Great Commission, it suddenly takes on new meaning for me. It becomes another piece of the road map
for discovering why I am here and what I am to do with my life."
(48) "His desire was that all
nations, all the peoples of the world, might know Him." (48) "The Great
Commission outlines in a succinct way the expectations for a follower of
Christ." "But it is also a
reminder that His message of grace and salvation was not just for the
disciples, nor is it just for us today.
It mandates that we share this good news with all the peoples of the
world: every tribe, every nation, every people group around the globe. As we ponder the magnitude of this task, we
are reminded that the Great Commission is not possible unless it springs from
the Great Commandment. It is from the
depth of God's love for us that re realize we are first and foremost to love
Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Only this kind of love can compel us to
love the whole world enough to go and tell them the good news of
Christ." (51) Chapter 3. Disciples Under Construction "…a
disciple is an 'apprentice.' IN the
secular world, an apprentice is someone who already knows something about
their chosen trade or profession, but they are working alongside a more
experienced person to improve their skills.
In the Christian sense, Humphreys asserts that we are apprentices of
Jesus because, 'We are already living our lives as Christians; while we are
doing that, we also are learning from rabbi Jesus how to be really good
Christians.' Disciples today are
people who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and are on the
journey of understanding how He wants them to live and what He is calling
them to do in the world." (60) "The
foundation for discipleship is studying and applying the teachings of the
Bible to the way we live and serve with those we meet." (63) "Discipleship
is a process of learning God's Word, growing in our commitment to pray and to
serve others like Jesus." (70) "Spiritual
gifts equip Christians to minister, doing God's work in the world. The fruit of the spirit enables Christians
to express the attitudes and to live the behavior that should accompany
ministry in Jesus' name. The fruit is
the medium through which the gifts are expresses. Gifts define what a Christian does. Fruit defines who a Christian is." (76,
quoting Stuart Calvert) Chapter 4. The View from Above "What would
happen if your view of the world and your understanding of Christian
principles intersected in such a way that your responses to world situations
were based on how Jesus would respond?" (85) The Barna
Research Group suggests that only 9 percent of Christians have a biblical
worldview. "The primary reason
that people do not act like Jesus is because they do not think like
Jesus. Behavior stems from what we
think--our attitudes, beliefs, values, and opinions." (85, quoting
George Barna) "…through
Scripture we learn that God's view of the world has always included a focus
on all the nations of the world." (86) "Abraham
was commissioned to reach all nations, and this commissioning continued on
from one generation to the next of God's chosen leaders. God's focus on reaching the nations
culminated in the coming of Christ. The
bridge was built for all to come to Him.
Jesus knew God's heart well. Therefore,
His parting instructions to the disciples were to 'go and make disciples of
all nations' (Matthew 28:19). God's
heart for the nations was revealed through the life of His Son and then
through the disciples as they carried out the commission Christ gave
them." (88) "…a very
practical way to develop our view of the world is to develop and feed our
curiosity about the world and its people with accurate information and
experiences." (89) "To
encourage a biblical worldview, we must intentionally and consistently expose
ourselves to accurate information about world events and cultures different
from our own." (89) "If we are
serious about seeing the world as God sees it, the most important element is
to ask God to open our eyes so that we may clearly see the truths He is
trying to develop within us." (91) "Do people
of different cultures and lifestyles live near you? How do you react when you see these
people?" (93) "To embrace
the mission of God means we understand God's heart and purpose in the
world. We see more clearly what He
wants to do in our lives and how He wants us to be a part of His mission." "One of the most prevalent challenges
will be to discover what to move out of our lives to make room for His
call." (96) Chapter 5. Make Room in Your Life "God's call
is not only a call to faith but also a call to follow Christ into the
world." (98) "Faith is
the ability to trust God while not being able to make sense out of
everything." (108, quoting James R. Kok) "When we
are already so busy with so many good things, it seems impossible to add one
more thing to our lives. That's when
we need to step back, reevaluate how we are spending our time, energy,
resources, and listen for God's call.
We need to ask God and ourselves what we need to move out of our busy
lives so we can hear the call of God to the more important things."
(108) Chapter 8. Act on What You Know "…lifelong
learners need three things: an insatiable curiosity, an open mind, and to be
intentional about learning." (149, quoting Dellanna O'Brien) Sometimes people
have a sense of 'rightness' when they respond to God's call. "I was walking across the street in
Caracas, Venezuela, after a worship service.
I had this deep sense of rightness about what I was doing. I had this deep feeling that I was born for
international missions."
"But there was more--there was that deep sense that God was
smiling on my overseas service." (152, quoting Travis Collins) Chapter 9. Walk Worthy (Colossians 1:10) "The
Christian must have faith; he must know what he believes. But he must also have love for men; he must
turn belief into action…. The
Christian faith is not only a conviction of the mind; it is also an overflow
of the heart. It is not only correct
thought; it is loving conduct." (164, quoting William Barclay) "Sometimes
we lose sight of the ultimate purpose of prayer, which should be for us to
discover God's will for our lives, not our trying to convince Him that our
will is best." (165) "The will
of God in the broadest sense is his plan to redeem his people. In a narrower sense it has to do with the
way we fit into that plan as individuals.
In order to know God's will we need the Spirit's gift of wisdom and
understanding." (165, quoting Malcolm Tolbert) One leader
learned that "all the wisdom in the world would not help him unless he
had the courage to act on it once he received it." "I ask God for His wisdom, but I also
ask Him to give me the courage to act when the time is right." (166) Chapter 10. Combine Ministry and Missions "I don't
know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among
you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to
serve." (171, quoting Albert Schweitzer) "God's call
is always first to Himself. We all begin
at the same point--with a call to faith." "Once we understand God has chosen us
to be His, and we ask Jesus to forgive us for our failures, to come and live
in us and be our Lord, then God calls us to be a part of His work in the
world." (172) "Those who
know we are Christ followers are watching and listening to us, and they being
to develop receptive or closed minds, based on what they see and hear."
(172) "His call
is not always a one-time event to one particular place. Just like you and me, missionaries are
called to continually listen, continually seek His way, and respond when He
calls." (193-94) "If you
want to hear God laugh, tell Him your long-range plans." (197, quoting
Jim and Viola Palmer) |
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