DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Faith
by Elaine Pierce
What is God calling you to do? Where is God calling you to do it? Abram, later renamed Abraham, certainly had a calling: God told him very clearly to "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. (v. 1)" And God gave Abram that calling when he was 75 years old!
We recently hosted UALC's partner in mission in North Africa [Because it is a strict Muslim country, I am not using their names]. The story of how God called them to serve overseas is compelling. Three years ago, he was an associate pastor in a small church in upstate New York, and as he and his wife prayed about their future, his wife shared that she was open to serving overseas (they met in Mongolia where they worked with college students who wanted to learn about following Jesus). The next day, after this conversation, he saw an online job posting for the pastor of the international church in the capital city of this country in Northern Africa.
Since it was in the midst of the Covid pandemic, they were not able to visit the country before they made their decision to leave the US behind. They had never been there and they did not speak the language. Today, three years later, they are part of the expat community and they are seeing God at work in their international church. Every Sunday, people from more than 70 countries gather to worship, to pray, and to seek God's plan for their church and their world.
God is using this young pastor and his family. Your call, my call, might not be as dramatic as his has been, or as Abram's was: to leave family and friends and travel to a new land. But God has work for all of us, and he has plans to bless us so that we can bless others. UALC has a calling to 'be and to make disciples for Jesus Christ.' Many of our neighbors and friends don't follow Jesus. What an opportunity we have to introduce them to faith and eternal life! As you go about your daily tasks, take time to thank God for where he has placed you - right here in Columbus - and to ask him to show you how you can bless others.
PRAYER
Lord, you called Abram to leave his comfortable home and to travel to a far land. We may not have that call, but you have promised to bless us so that we can be a blessing to others. Help us seek you daily, answer your call, and to follow you. You have plans for a future and a hope. We love you Lord, Amen.
What a great message to carry into this week. God's message of love is all we need. Thank you.
Thank you, Elaine. This resonates with my prayers for today. Lord, I surrender my time, my heart and my mind to your calling.
Good challenge Elaine! Lord, give us ears to hear your nudges to speak more boldly, especially those non-believers around us.