With orders in hand, I realize that I am fastly approaching the day that I will be getting out of the Coast Guard. In these next several days and weeks, I want to write a blog series highlighting the amazing things God has done right before my eyes these past four years. When I joined the Coast Guard, I looked at it as a four-year, all expences paid mission trip around the United States...and though time and discouragement can cloud that vision, as I look back I realize that these past four years have been exactly that. God has called us to be "World Changers" to step up and "Do Hard Things" but we must not forget that it is when we touch one life with Christ's love that we are actually impacting the world...it is by one act, one word, and one attitude of saying "Yes" to God that will do the most for spreading God's fame. Why is this so? I think it is because God is doing this work and not us...God is changing the world and not us. So we need to focus on the little part of the world God has given us and demonstrate by our actions that God truly does care for each person.
Now I would like to share a post that actually was my first blog post (for my first blog heldbygrace2day.blogspot.com), which I wrote as I awaited the day I would be heading off to Coast Guard Boot camp.
________________
June 30, 2009
The days until I head off to Coast Guard boot camp are going fast---only forty-nine to go! Soon my looming adventure shall begin; one that will definitely change my life forever and set my direction for the next four years. I am excited to take this giant step and go out on my own, beginning this new chapter in my life and at the same time I am scared and nervous. Adventures are like that though, filled with mystery and unknown factors. God definitely designed life to be that way so that we put our trust in Him. He gives us what we need when we need it, directing us step by step. God has placed an adventure in front of me---an opportunity to make much of Him and shine the light of His Gospel in a dark place---that will stretch and challenge me in ways I cannot even imagine right now. I do not want to cower back in fear, but step forth in faith as I trust God to lead me, protect me, teach me, challenge me, and ultimately make me more like Christ.
Psalm 23 is a continual encouragement to my heart as I look forward to the days ahead. Knowing that God is the shepherd of my soul causes me to rejoice. He holds me secure in His loving arms as I go down this path, which He has set me upon. The assurance that He is with me and will never leave me gives me courage and strength to continue down this road. I know that I am going to have amazing experiences in the Coast Guard, but I also know that life will never be the same as I know it now. I will be out on my own, paying bills, finding a church, making my own decisions, and taking on a slew of other responsibilities I have not had to handle before. Moving away from home is not easy---I am glad God gave me a little taste of what it is like last year when I was away at college for about four months---and I know I will struggle with homesickness and loneliness, but I also know it is time for me to take this step and leave my fears and concerns in the Lord's hands. An adventure is just not an adventure if it is not hard and difficult, pushing and pressing us to God.
I think it is good to remind ourselves that God never intended life to be easy and comfortable for His children. No, He has called us to be lights in the darkness and going into the darkness is not an easy thing to do. I am excited that I am going to be surrounded by unbelievers, having the opportunity to share my faith by living it out in front of them; and yet, I am also scared too death. I know I will face persecution of varies kinds, be confronted with temptation, see the ugliness of sin in myself and others; yet God pushes me on and reminds me to trust in Him. I could try to protect myself from being tainted by the world, but what would the point be? I was already as tainted by sin as a person can be and Christ cleansed me by His own blood---not so that I can now hide from what I once was, but so that I can confront it with the power of the Gospel. The battle of faith is fierce, raging constantly with intensity that I think none of us is truly aware of, and I cannot passively sit back watching others proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and not join in the greatest cause that we can spend our lives being a part of. Living to make much of Christ, requires that we make much of the Gospel, and we cannot make much of the Gospel if we are not proclaiming it first to ourselves and then to the world around us.
God gives everyone different adventures, but I am truly thankful and excited about the one He has placed in front of me. What great hurdles, challenges, and difficulties lay ahead; but on the other hand, who would trade the opportunity to live amongst lost sinners, sharing the message of the cross, all the while being paid and receiving training for future service? To put it simply, I have forty-nine more days to prepare for an amazing, four-year mission trip around the United States---all expenses paid! How amazing is that!
So now as I go about preparing to be sent off as God's witness in forty-nine short days, I would ask and beg for your prayers. I am completely weak and incapable of reflecting the beauty of Christ in the Gospel apart from the grace of God and the prayers of His children. Pray with all diligence on my behalf especially in these areas:
< That I would be depending and trusting in the Lord and not my own strength
< That I would reflect God's beauty to the unbelievers I will have contact with
< That I would have boldness and wisdom in proclaiming the Gospel
< That I would be rejoicing in the Lord daily no matter what my circumstances may be < That I would not give in to fear, but remain rooted in my faith
Facing adventures is not easy, but they are truly amazing experiences when we realize that we are held by grace. Nothing can touch us apart from God's sovereign will, and His plan cannot be thwarted. Here I stand, confident that the Lord is the one who leads me forth---the shepherd of my soul and the sustainer of my faith---I will not be afraid because He is with me.
Now I would like to share a post that actually was my first blog post (for my first blog heldbygrace2day.blogspot.com), which I wrote as I awaited the day I would be heading off to Coast Guard Boot camp.
________________
June 30, 2009
The days until I head off to Coast Guard boot camp are going fast---only forty-nine to go! Soon my looming adventure shall begin; one that will definitely change my life forever and set my direction for the next four years. I am excited to take this giant step and go out on my own, beginning this new chapter in my life and at the same time I am scared and nervous. Adventures are like that though, filled with mystery and unknown factors. God definitely designed life to be that way so that we put our trust in Him. He gives us what we need when we need it, directing us step by step. God has placed an adventure in front of me---an opportunity to make much of Him and shine the light of His Gospel in a dark place---that will stretch and challenge me in ways I cannot even imagine right now. I do not want to cower back in fear, but step forth in faith as I trust God to lead me, protect me, teach me, challenge me, and ultimately make me more like Christ.
Psalm 23 is a continual encouragement to my heart as I look forward to the days ahead. Knowing that God is the shepherd of my soul causes me to rejoice. He holds me secure in His loving arms as I go down this path, which He has set me upon. The assurance that He is with me and will never leave me gives me courage and strength to continue down this road. I know that I am going to have amazing experiences in the Coast Guard, but I also know that life will never be the same as I know it now. I will be out on my own, paying bills, finding a church, making my own decisions, and taking on a slew of other responsibilities I have not had to handle before. Moving away from home is not easy---I am glad God gave me a little taste of what it is like last year when I was away at college for about four months---and I know I will struggle with homesickness and loneliness, but I also know it is time for me to take this step and leave my fears and concerns in the Lord's hands. An adventure is just not an adventure if it is not hard and difficult, pushing and pressing us to God.
I think it is good to remind ourselves that God never intended life to be easy and comfortable for His children. No, He has called us to be lights in the darkness and going into the darkness is not an easy thing to do. I am excited that I am going to be surrounded by unbelievers, having the opportunity to share my faith by living it out in front of them; and yet, I am also scared too death. I know I will face persecution of varies kinds, be confronted with temptation, see the ugliness of sin in myself and others; yet God pushes me on and reminds me to trust in Him. I could try to protect myself from being tainted by the world, but what would the point be? I was already as tainted by sin as a person can be and Christ cleansed me by His own blood---not so that I can now hide from what I once was, but so that I can confront it with the power of the Gospel. The battle of faith is fierce, raging constantly with intensity that I think none of us is truly aware of, and I cannot passively sit back watching others proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and not join in the greatest cause that we can spend our lives being a part of. Living to make much of Christ, requires that we make much of the Gospel, and we cannot make much of the Gospel if we are not proclaiming it first to ourselves and then to the world around us.
God gives everyone different adventures, but I am truly thankful and excited about the one He has placed in front of me. What great hurdles, challenges, and difficulties lay ahead; but on the other hand, who would trade the opportunity to live amongst lost sinners, sharing the message of the cross, all the while being paid and receiving training for future service? To put it simply, I have forty-nine more days to prepare for an amazing, four-year mission trip around the United States---all expenses paid! How amazing is that!
So now as I go about preparing to be sent off as God's witness in forty-nine short days, I would ask and beg for your prayers. I am completely weak and incapable of reflecting the beauty of Christ in the Gospel apart from the grace of God and the prayers of His children. Pray with all diligence on my behalf especially in these areas:
< That I would be depending and trusting in the Lord and not my own strength
< That I would reflect God's beauty to the unbelievers I will have contact with
< That I would have boldness and wisdom in proclaiming the Gospel
< That I would be rejoicing in the Lord daily no matter what my circumstances may be < That I would not give in to fear, but remain rooted in my faith
Facing adventures is not easy, but they are truly amazing experiences when we realize that we are held by grace. Nothing can touch us apart from God's sovereign will, and His plan cannot be thwarted. Here I stand, confident that the Lord is the one who leads me forth---the shepherd of my soul and the sustainer of my faith---I will not be afraid because He is with me.
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