The Lord is faithful. Is that true? Do you really believe it? Is the Lord really faithful? These past weeks have been a testament to the Lord's favor. As Amethyst and I have dove right in to full-time support raising we've jumped from 25% to 30%. That doesn't sound like much but it really is. Several new supporters have gotten behind our vision for the Congo.

Every opportunity to share about our vision makes us that more sure about it. Support raising is difficult and trying time. Somedays we wonder if we are really missionaries or just bums. Sometimes we wonder if we'll ever get that next ministry partner or if that church will partner with us. Other days we just randomly start talking about our heart for missions and before you know it the person listening has wide eyes and is itching to be a part of the vision.

Then we are reminded of how God will be faithful. Sure there are those sayings like, "God's vision will always have His provision; God's will done God's way never lacks God's supply; they go on..." Well I agree with all of them but try it sometime. Raising support in "tough economic times" is difficult. Churches who want to do frontier missions are holding onto their funds and rightfully so, they need to be good stewards.

But then we are reminded of God's word. Psalm 37:25 - I have never seen the righteous forsaken; Ephesians 3:20 - now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly more than we can ask or imagine; Matthew 9:38 - pray to the Lord of the harvest to raise up laborers...

We know we're called to frontier missions. We know that we need to adapt a war time mentality. Matthew 11:12 says, "The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force." There is nothing pretty about missions. There is no glory in it in the temporal. But why do we do it? It's the heart beat of God. In the words of one of my favorite authors, missions exists because worship does not. I believe that. There would be no more missions if everyone worshiped God. We also know that the Gospel must be preached to the whole world and then the end will come as in Matthew 24:14.

A war time mentality must be adopted. In World War II the whole world rationed and cut costs to fuel the war effort. They settled with less. In fact, sometimes a young man would say, "Oh what I would do for a loaf of bread right now."

Quickly someone would respond, "Don't you know there is a war going on?"

This reflected the total sacrifice that went into the war effort. People were giving up their regular comforts (often against their will) to be a part of the greater cause... What if the world adopted this same mentality to bring the Gospel to the remotest parts of the earth? How long will it be until the end will come?

The Lord is faithful and His kingdom will advance with or without us. But it is God's plan and desire to make us a part of His vision. We will receive a blessing for being a a part of it. I believe that with my heart and God's word backs it up...

Read Psalm 67 and then cross reference that with Psalm 115. Then be reminded of 1 Corinthians 9:23 which talks about doing all things for the Gospel so that we can be fellow partakers in it (aka receive the Lord's blessing.) I can't help but be reminded of Galatians 3:8  which says, "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.' " This is in direct correlation to Genesis 12:1-3 where God said to Abraham that he will be blessed and in him all the nations will be blessed.

We are blessed. The Lord is faithful.


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