We attended a church service in Phuket yesterday and I thought I would share a little bit about what spoke to me.
The church invited a guest speaker from Korea to deliver the sermon. He spoke about the idea that we cannot do good works to earn salvation but once we accept salvation, we want to do good and pleasing works for our Lord and Savior. One of the passages of that was read came from Isaiah 43. Several pieces spoke profoundly to me.
The first came from a commonly quoted portion of scripture in the second part of Verse 1 where it says,
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
This served as a wonderful reminder that we are indeed called for our own unique purpose. The phrase that especially stood out was “you are mine.” God claims ownership of us which is such a relief because it means He knows us through and through.
Secondly, Verse 11 was also noteworthy:
“I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.”
I found it interesting that the number of the verse was 11, the number of countries we are going to. While God gives grace in abundance and loves us unconditionally, He is uncompromising in the fact that He alone can save us. Our mission for these 11 months is to share the love of Christ and to bring hope through the gospel to the nations. While we learn about each culture and how best to meet them where they are, the fact remains that there is only one way to heaven and one true hope in this world: Jesus Christ.
Finally, the portion that hit me the most was Verse 18 and 19:
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
I love the progression of the scripture in that God has redeemed us to the point of calling us His own, reminds us that only He can save us, and then adds that we need not remember the past. We are free from our sins and should not look back and dwell on what has happened. With each new day that we wake up on this Earth, God is doing a new thing in us that we need only seek Him to know it to be true.
It’s been 7.5 months on the field. If I’m being honest, I’m tired and feeling the first real touch of homesickness (other than the holidays) that I’ve felt. This passage of scripture brought with it a huge wave of encouragement coupled with a burst of energy. Despite the fact that we have been on this journey for so long, there is much to come. It involves a newness that is only known to Him but if our hearts are open, we will be privy to the joy of holy anticipation in what the Lord has for us. Do you not perceive it?
Keep looking forward to what is ahead…
