Let us reason together

Often, in the course of speaking with others, my own understanding of different  important issues becomes clearer. That has happened many times over the past month, as I interacted with various groups of young Singaporeans who have come to visit us.

Here is the fruit of my attempts to think things through…

1.   I am convinced that our youthful desire to change the world is truly of God, and the passionate and zealous individual we dreamt of becoming in our youth is the real us. Life events may attempt to banish those dreams and passions, the things of the world may seek to distract us, but it does not change both God’s intention for our lives, nor diminish His power to cause those dreams to bear fruit, so long as we want His will badly enough. Which brings me to my second point…

2.  What you want badly enough, you will likely get, to a certain extent. Those of us who persist in chasing our God-given dreams will see them come true with God’s help. The same is true in the other direction. If we aspire to worldly ambitions, we will very likely attain them – and stray far from God.

3.  Focus is a by-product of spiritual hunger. A starving man cannot help but think about food. He does not need to be told to focus on food, or psych himself up to do so.

If you find yourself lacking focus in your spiritual life, perhaps it is because you are not truly hungry for the fullness that only God can give. Discipline yourself to pray fervently for spiritual hunger, instead of feeling guilty that you have been distracted by other things.

4.   It is not so much that God calls certain “special” individuals to long-term missions work, but that some people are better able to hear and receive God’s heart for the nations, because their values are in line with the Kingdom. We see this principle at work in our friendships. We have countless acquaintances, few friends, but just one soul mate, and that is if we are lucky. There are many people you simply cannot share your heart with, because their values are so different from yours that there would be no understanding, let alone collaboration on the things that matter to you. In the same way, God first seeks out those whose hearts and loyal, and within that context, He reveals His plans and invites them to be a part of what He is doing.

So the fundamental question is not whether you are called to missions, but whether you are someone whom God can share His heart with. What kind of person are you becoming – someone whom God can share more and more intimately with, or someone who cannot understand or receive His counsel?