Amos 7:7-15
Psalms 85:8-15
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29
Here's what God lead me to write and preach. My absolute prayer is that it glorifies God and challenges those who heard and are going to read it to check their salvation and seek God's perfect plan for their lives!
Listen again to Amos’ reply to Amaziah from our lesson today, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord called me away from my flock and told me, “Go and prophesy to my people in Israel.” Amos stands just one example in scripture where God sends the weak to lead the strong. He chose Amos and sent him, a man who describes himself as unprofessional and never trained. Timothy is another perfect example of someone God chose to do His work, listen to what he says in 1 Timothy 1:12-14. “I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—I didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.”
Can you see that the first step is accepting the love and grace-filled forgiveness God has offered us through His son Jesus Christ? This is perfectly described in today’s reading from Ephesians. “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be whole and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.” The common denominator here is a public belief in Jesus Christ. So if you believe in Christ and have confessed him as Lord and Savior, the next step is to discern his perfect plan for you. I think telling you the story of the last year of my life may show you that God does call people like Amos and Timothy in real ways slowly revealing His perfect plan.
It all started with a phone call from a good friend of mine while I was attempting to study for a nursing test during the fall of 2008. She knew my computer was broken so I would have to travel to campus to use the internet. Our conversation went something like this, “I feel like I should tell you about this orphanage in Africa.” “Can we talk about this tomorrow? We both really need to study.” “Sure, but if you want to look it up. It’s run by Iris Ministries and is called the Baby House. I just feel like if there is anywhere you would be happy, it’s at a place called the Baby House.” So I left my books right on my bed and headed to campus to look up this place. I spent a few hours reading about the orphanage and the organization and was captivated by what God was doing through Iris Ministries. The minute I saw a picture of the nursing staff all I could think was, I could be a part of this. The next morning, only because of God’s grace I made it to my test and ended up with an A!
This same week another friend saw me looking at the babies on the website and asked me about it. I looked right at him and said aren’t they amazing. They look so happy and excited even though they are living with nothing. I also showed him the nursing staff picture and timidly asked, “Do you think I could do this?” Within a few minutes he had convinced me to e-mail for information about becoming a nursing missionary, saying its only information you don’t really have to go. The e-mail I got back astounded me. It basically said at the time when you are graduating we are going to have a nursing shortage so if you feel led to fill out our application we would love to consider you without the normal 3-4 week initial visit. Crazy! I wrote back that I needed to talk with my parents prior to filling out the application because I did not think it was fair to make this decision without them. The organization was completely supportive.
In the next few weeks to months God was extremely clear that this was His plan for my next year. Prior to this, honestly my plan was to move to Charleston and be a pediatric or labor and delivery nurse and live happily ever after. But to give you a few examples of how subtle God can be…Before bringing up the idea to a close friend when I said I was trying to figure out what was next after graduation he said, “Why don’t you just get on a boat and go work in Africa?” I sat stunned for a minute before I explained that that might actually be what I was doing. Also, I am a tour guide on Clemson’s campus and several times members of my tour groups came up to me and said something like…have you thought about taking your nursing education to Africa and becoming a missionary? They would each tell me stories of their sons or daughters being missionaries and how people with medical knowledge were priceless to them. God also used things like the radio. One morning I turned my car on and the first word said was, “Africa”. I sat peaceful and amazed listening to this missionary talk about her last year spent in an Africa village spreading the gospel to children there. Each one of these moments and many more transformed my heart. The realization was that God’s plan was perfect and mine was flawed. I slowly but surely got over the idea that my American nursing education was quote “going to waste” by not working in a hospital setting and completely fell in love with each African child I saw a picture of.
Don’t be tricked into thinking this process has been easy. But God has been faithful in providing a push in the right direction every single time I got discouraged. Now my plane ticket is bought and I will be leaving on August 18th to spend the next year outside of Maputo, Mozambique working as a nurse at a Christian orphanage called Zimpeto that cares for about 300 children. At least the first few months my responsibility will be in the Baby House…exactly what started this whole thing! There are about 40 kids under 4 that I will be working with. Since this decision was made, God has revealed to me at least a part of the vision He has for my ministry through scripture. I firmly believe that one of my jobs is to share the hope and excitement of Isaiah 30:19-21 with the missionaries, workers, and children at Zimpeto. Just listen and I think you’ll be excited along with me. "O people of Zion (substitute of Mozambique), who live in Jerusalem (or Zimpeto), you will weep no more. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, 'This is the way you should go,' whether to the right or to the left."
I stand here a modern-day example of Amos or Timothy. I am humbled and blessed that God had this in my plan from day one and don’t for one second think I could do it without Him. Many people have asked how I’m feeling right now, with only about a month left in the States. Currently I am extremely excited to see God’s plan worked out in front of me; I am also beginning to glimpse how excruciating it will be to say goodbye to all those I love; and I am desperate for God to calm my fears of being inadequate and unworthy. But in the midst of this year, my prayer has been that others will see me for who I am. I believe Timothy describes it perfectly. “Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever. Deep honor and bring glory to the King of All Time—One God, Immortal, Invisible, ever and always.” This is me, saved only by the blood of Christ, now sent to do God’s work in a land desperate for his saving power with children who have no parents, are starving, and sick.
I would love for each one of you to be a part of my journey in whatever capacity you feel led. There is a sheet in the back for you to write down your name and e-mail address or street address to receive more information on how to contact me, following my blog, and exactly where I’ll be. Thank you so much for this opportunity to tell you about what God has been doing in my life. My prayer is that it has challenged each of you to ask God what His plan is for you, daily and long-term.
Let us pray…
Very well said. Your strength from God is growing everyday, that is obvious!
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