Oh, did God ever whack me over the head with His velvet-covered two-by-four today! Through two circumstances, God blared His truth in my ear. “It’s not what you are doing that is wrong, it is how.”
He has been tapping on my brain for several weeks, but I had failed to acknowledge it.
Another missionary gave me a card that says, “real missionary work is done on your knees.” Nice, I thought. It didn’t really sink in.
Then, in a Bible study I am doing with ladies of my church, we read this in 2 Corinthians: Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. (verse 17a.)
BAM! For over 18 months I have been trying everything I know how to do to raise financial partners as a missionary. And I have failed. The missionary society continues to fund me, even though I am not pulling my financial weight. That stresses me out. I so want to continue this work.
I could blame it on my being housebound for the most part. I cannot travel to meet and greet, which is the tried and true pattern for missionaries raising funds for their salary. I have only been able to contact folks digitally. But since my missionary work is solely in the realm of the internet though writing and editing for The Life Project, I figured raising support could be accomplished in the same way.
I have been fretting over not making my monthly ends meet instead of meeting with God’s will. If He wants me to continue touching lives over cyberspace then He will provide. I do not need to peddle my missionary work. I just need to be obedient and do the work He has called me to do.
Matthew 6:33 states to seek God’s righteousness first, above all else, and then everything else we need in life will follow. How easy it is to believe that in our brains but not follow through with our hearts.
God knows who my supporters will be. He also knows my physical limitations. My job is to keep the conduit open by delving more into His word and increasing my prayer time. He will open opportunities for me to speak to people and open their hearts to support my work. By keeping in tune with His will, and trusting in His timing instead of my own, I can better serve Him and others.
I have placed that missionary’s card on my fridge where I can see it every day as a reminder of what my primary job is. If I keep filling my heart, mind, and soul with God, He will fill my fridge, my support list, and my bank account. That is the true profit.
If you feel as if a giant wall has loomed between you and what you think you are doing for God, perhaps He is telling you to sit down and ponder your motives. Really ponder. Are you doing it for your profit, or for His glory? It is so easy to confuse the two because it is in our human nature to do it. Spending more time on your knees can alter your perspective.
“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the Word of God for profit,” Julie this should speak to the heart of every Christian author…I know it speaks to my heart. The bottom line is motive…motivation. And those words stabbed my heart this morning also. Somewhere in our minds…uh…hearts, because we know everything in our mind originates in our heart…we have the notion we should make money for our time spent writing…because we’re Christians.
I’ve just turned in an article for Crosswalk based on the widow who gave all she had…a penny…and how Jesus valued her heart attitude. Boy we often get things upside down and backwards, don’t we? Thank you, Lord for these words of correction. Help me understand and judge my attitudes and motivations…and seek only Your righteousness…not mine.
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