Mission-Minded

Missions conference coming up this weekend at Henry Baptist Church. How exciting. Meeting, greeting, and blessing many of those who serve The Master on foreign soil...good stuff. I so respect and love service men. Service Men: Jesus, Military, and Missionaries...my heros (Christ being #1, of course!). I often wonder if anybody ever dwells on the sacrifices made by them to set the captive free? All service men (and women) are essentially doing a lot of the same duties. They are all passionate about their calling. They mean business about this calling. They do it to the best of their ability. They suffer hardships and pain-physical, mental, and emotional. They do this to better meet the needs of others and see those in bondage made FREE. They put others above themselves, as Scripture tells us to do. What wonderful, caring positions to have. Do we appreciate it, NEAR enough? I dare say no. All too often, they go unnoticed, unthanked, and unappreciated. This makes me so sad. Especially when it comes to Jesus. I pray as Missions Conference draws nigh, that God burdens my heart all the more about having a thankful heart, mind, and spirit. I pray that He shows me more ways to give. More ways to be a "Service Man." I must learn to GIVE more. More of myself- my heart, my time, my energy, my efforts, my funds. You can't out-give God, that's for sure. If we indeed have great faith- it WILL be manifested in the fact that we ACT upon our hope in the Lord. Jam 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Jam 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? Jam 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. So much work to do on self. Note to self: more study in God's Word, MORE prayer. Show Him SOME LOVE. More of HIM, and LESS of me! John 3:30 He must increase, but I [must] decrease.