How Could I?

This post is a reply I posted on a friend's blog. I have linked to it so you may see her post and why I wrote what I did.

When Heather and I decided to follow our calling and go to China, we heard all kinds of comments. Most were encouraging, but many were not. Even my own grandmother, who reads the Bible every day, asked why I would "do something so stupid" as to take my children to a foreign country. Here is my answer:

First of all, don't you know the Gospel? Did you conveniently forget that part that says "go into all the world?" Did you add the words "if you are called"? to the end of that passage? Guess what? That passage is directed at you! How can you take all of Jesus' other commandments literally but assign this passage to only those special few who have been called to missions?

There is nothing as satisfying as being in the manifest presence of the Father. If you have never experienced the tangible love of God, when it's so thick in the room that you can hardy stand, then you haven't experienced Him! And, trust me, it's not because He is withholding from you.... When you have been in His presence, obedience is not a demand on your life, it is the deepest desire of your heart! That love makes you trust Him with a reckless abandon-at least it feels like reckless abandon. But, Father has plans to prosper us, not harm us. That's not to say that his will is safe. It's not! He's not a God of status quo. He's the God of extraordinary! And He has called us to do extraordinary things!

Imagine how Peter felt when he laid hands on the man at the gate called "Beautiful". This man had been there for 40 years and had been passed many times by Jesus himself! Yet, it was Peter who was used by the Spirit to heal the man. Now, that's amazing!

I also remind people that in the tongue is the power of life and death! I didn't make this up. It's in the Bible! Proverbs 18:21 to be exact. It's not just "if you can't say anything nice"...Your words can actually create or destroy life! Didn't God speak the world into existence? Didn't He establish the ministry of Jesus with words? Isn't Jesus, in fact, the Word of God? Think about that. Why would you speak death over what God has ordained? Words matter. Stop tearing down the Father's will that none should perish!

This is all about relationship. You may think you have a relationship with Jesus, but if you can't feel His heartbeat for the nations, you don't know Jesus! You know about Jesus. Even the demons acknowledge who He is, but they don't walk in His will.

Father, I pray that You get the glory, that You get the fame. I pray that we realize that we were created for Your good purpose, not ours. I pray that hearts are opened to your love and how that moves us to live in open abandon of our own well being and safety. I thank you that Jesus didn't put His safety above our need for his blood!