Go & Be - A Missionary's Devotional

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Go & Be is a bi-weekly devotional aimed to encourage you to live out your God-given calling and is an outpouring our president, Jason Reiswig’s, personal mission statement: “Helping you find your Peru.” We believe that everyone is called to be a missionary, whether it be in your neighborhood, community, or around the world! By signing up to receive the Go & Be devotions, you will receive insights and perspective on living a life with purpose and on mission twice a week. The devotionals will be written by a diverse group of leaders from the 7 difference spheres of influence (Government, Arts & Entertainment, Family, Business, Media, Education, and Religion) and you will receive them on Monday and Thursday every week.

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Below you will see a few examples of past devotionals:


September 3, 2015 – Go & Be . . . A Sender

By: Jason Reiswig, President of Missions in the Amazon

When people think of missions, they often think of the token missionaries that are out in the middle of nowhere sacrificing everything for God. Or maybe they’ve been a part of a short-term mission trip growing up. But there are so many other ways to get involved in what God is doing around the world through missions! As the head of a missions organization myself, I know there are always needs within a mission…from logistics, prayer coordination, communications, and research, to social media, fundraising, or trip leadership…the list could go on and on! The most important responsibility that we all have (at least I believe) is to know our own gifts and passions so that we can be ready to serve when the Lord prompts us. From there, we can pray for a sacrificial and willing heart and look for opportunities to use those gifts for good and Kingdom impact. Missions in the Amazon, my organization, has a team of people that would love to explore with you what some of your gifts may be and help you plug into what God is doing around the world. We also have resources available that we have found to be so insightful to aid you your journey (all you have to do is connect with us!).

I’ll leave you with the infamous passage from Romans 12 and will make it my prayer for you today, that you would have the courage to live sacrificially, that you would have insight and wisdom to know your specific giftings and how to live them out, and that you would have passion to work hard for the Lord and truly make an impact for the Kingdom!

Romans 12:1-13 NLT

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Go & Be…A Sender!


June 24, 2015 – Go & Be . . . A Priest

By: Jon Dewitt, President of Mission 611 (www.missions611.com)

“You are a priesthood.” 1 Peter 2:9

In his book Habits of the Heart, sociologist Robert N. Bellah describes three attitudes people have toward their work.  The first group treats it as a job.  When you do this, you see it strictly as a way to make money and pay the bills.  Like the bumper sticker says, “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go.”  But if your main focus is on what you receive from your work, you’ll most likely come to resent it.  The second group approaches work as a career.  Here your motivation will be higher, but your focus is on advancement and prestige.  That means, however, when your career isn’t going well it can feel like your self-worth is on the line. The third group sees their job as their calling.

Now, logically speaking, if there’s a “calling” there must be someone making the call, right? That someone is God. You’re not the “caller,” you’re the “call-ee,” and any work that has meaning, that can be a blessing to people, and fulfills His purposes, is a calling. A doctor or pastor might get sucked into treating work solely as a means of making a good income, therefore they see it as just a job. On the other hand, a garbage collector may view what he does—making the world a cleaner place—as a calling. We’re not downgrading the importance of those who stand in pulpits and preach; we’re upgrading the importance of those who serve God forty hours a week in other jobs.

Bottom line: when the job’s done well, both will hear the commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

Go & Be…A Priest!


March 5, 2015 – Go & Be . . . Free From Anger

By: Matt Cline, Owner of Teacher’s Landscaping (www.teacherslandscaping.com)

I had been frustrated and angry for months.  Instead of dealing with the situation, I avoided the confrontation, allowing the frustration to continue building with momentum inside my heart.  During a phone conversation, IT happened; My anger got the best of me.  Unable to contain my emotions any longer, I lost my composure, yelling and venting what had been building up inside of me for months.  I left the situation unresolved, creating more hurt and confusion for myself and the other person.

It is wise to deal with anger and frustration immediately.  Avoiding confrontation will only lead to bigger problems and bigger confrontation later.  Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”

Do you have a situation you need to deal with today?  Before the sun goes down, ask God to guide your heart and tongue regarding those whom you have anger towards.

Go & Be…Free From Anger


 

February 2, 2015 – Go & Be . . . A Worker for God

By: Jason Reiswig, President of Missions in the Amazon

Liturgy: The Work of the People. In this world that we live in, there are so many distractions and pulls on our time and energy. And in my pursuit of oneness with God, I often find myself yearning for the glory referred to in Colossians 1:27 (Christ in you, the hope of glory). That I would somehow separate myself from the excarnate culture around me and allow Christ to incarnate me.

Over the years, as I’ve been exposed to the environment surrounding a “mission trip,” I’ve realized that within the community of pastors, leaders, adventure seekers, and mission trip junkies, there is somewhat of a liturgical exercise associated with the practice. It is never hard to see our own insufficiencies in comparison to the mission we are embarking on, yet there always seems to be that expectation of hope, of oneness with God, that we experience while on these trips (which is often unmatched throughout the rest of the year).

I was recently reading “Incarnate” (by Michael Frost), and I found that he was able to articulate this tension in a way that resonated with me: “Charles Taylor says, “there is no way in which I will have a relation to God which is not in some way or other embodied.” He goes on to describe this as being like a poet searching for the right word. The poet knows the right word is there, somewhere, but until he or she finds it in the process of expressing oneself to the poem is incomplete. Searching for the right word is a metaphor for needing to express our relationship to God physically. It’s as if God (the right word) is out there, but we need to find a way to connect with him to complete the sentence or the phrase. Taylor says that “the presence of the sacred could be enacted in ritual or seen, felt, touched, walk towards (in pilgrimage).” Alas, much of our Christian ritual is highly personalized and inwardly sensed. Liturgy is one of the ways we find “the right word” for God. Liturgy literally means “the work of the people.” It is the collective practices or rituals that the people of God undertake to unite themselves to him and to each other. One of the ways we express our faith in the truth that Christ is in us and we in Christ is through such collective rituals.”

So as you consider going on a mission trip and/or live out your mission right in your own backyard, I will be praying for you. That you would embody Christ as you carry out His purposes in your life and that you would receive the full blessing of his incarnation in you, the blessings of love, joy, and peace. May you be daily rejuvenated and in possession of more clarity around your God-given purpose.

I will leave you with Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”

Go & Be…A Worker for God!