Thursday, October 22, 2015

God’s Sovereignty and Our Duty...


Early in my career I was blessed to work for a large financial services company with a very well developed corporate security program. My time at that firm changed my outlook on a great many things and helped to focus my corporate career. One of the lessons I learned was expressed in the frequently heard phrase “sense of urgency”. Since big goals rested on many smaller, less glamourous, accomplishments, there were no unimportant tasks; everything was done with a sense of urgency. I bought into that concept and it helped me immensely in the corporate world. In fact, it still helps me as a missionary, but I’ve found that there are limits to this kind of thinking.

As a missionary, I’m ultimately working for God and, unlike when I worked for corporations, my failure to meet certain goals doesn’t even slightly derail His plans. It is not as if God is surprised when something doesn’t work out the way I had intended. On the other hand, the fact that God is sovereign is not an excuse for inaction on my part. We all have to use our God-given talents to the best of our abilities in advancement of His Kingdom. So how does one learn to relax in the knowledge that God is sovereign and still keep that sense of urgency? I still don’t know the answer to that question but I take solace in knowing that He is not done with me yet. -Scott



Relationships

So much of what we do here is dependent upon our relationships. Scott has been slowly developing a better relationship between SIL and the local Police in the Aiyura Valley. Please pray for a highly productive partnership that will be mutually beneficial for the missionaries in Ukarumpa as well as the people of the valley and ultimately glorifying to God. 

Responding to El Nino...



Matthew 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?” (NIV)

As a science teacher, I have conceptually discussed with students the periodic warm water current event in the Pacific Ocean known as El Nino, and the resulting extreme global weather patterns it can trigger. What I never expected was to be living in the Pacific during one of the strongest on record. In 1997, the strongest El Nino recorded caused flooding in some regions and extreme drought in many Pacific island nations, including Papua New Guinea, ultimately deemed responsible for over 20,000 deaths in PNG alone. Only God knows how strong this current climatic event will be, but we will trust His sovereignty in the midst of it. 


What I do know is this is an opportunity for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to people in need. I can be a good steward of the resources I have been blessed with, conserve them, and share them with others. I can give a bottle of clean drinking water to a woman who now has to walk increasingly long distances to unreliable sources. I can bless a family with a kilogram of rice to help feed their children and grandchildren. I can spend time praying with people and share the hope that I have in Jesus Christ, no matter what the circumstances. Thank you for your prayers for us, and for the people of the Pacific, during this challenging time. I thank God that He is bigger than El Nino and will use this for His Glory, working both in us and through us, to accomplish His purposes for building His Kingdom. -Kathy