Heart for the World
As soon as I heard that the Harding nursing program takes a group of students to Tanzania, Africa, on a summer medical mission trip, I planned to be the first one on the plane. Me, being the planner that I am, decided to make this trip the summer after my junior year of college. Mark it down. Put it on the calendar. Set the alarm. I had this all planned out literally years in advance, before I even started college.
Now that the time is actually here, I attended an informational meeting a couple of weeks ago where I learned that I had approximately two weeks to turn in my application and $100 deposit. Suddenly, I only had 14 days to make a huge decision. I had previously been confident about making this decision. After all, I had been planning to do this since way back when, right? But suddenly, I became unsure. I kept thinking to myself, this is a big time commitment...and it costs a lot of money...and going to Africa this summer means not going back to Nicaragua, which creates a sore spot in my heart...What if another better opportunity comes up for this summer? I only had a few days to figure it all out.
I believe that God's Word speaks. Through the pages of Scripture, God's voice whispers to us personally, practically, and specifically. So in order to make my decision, I began to read God's Word and listen.
Two weeks seems like a short amount of time to make a big decision, but it only takes a few days in God's Word to see something rather significant: the Lord has a huge heart for the world. This past Sunday, a group called the Traveling Team spoke at our church about God's heart for the world. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible speaks time and time again of God's love for the nations, his desire for all men to know Him, and his mission for His salvation to reach every corner of the world. You can hardly read any portion of Scripture without seeing that God has a huge heart for the world.
When I was reading the Bible on my own this week, I discovered a piece of God's heart for the world in Acts 1-2. When the disciples asked Jesus if the time had come to restore the kingdom of Israel. He answered their question by saying, "You will be my witnesses...to the ends of the earth." Notice that He didn't really answer their question about the kingdom of Israel. That's because His mission is not just about Israel; it is about the world. His desire is for His kingdom to reach to the ends of the earth.
Then, when the day of Pentecost comes, God demonstrated the power and presence of His Spirit by allowing the apostles to speak in many languages to proclaim the "wonders of God." He could have chosen any miracle to represent the coming of His Spirit. The apostles could have healed the lame, raised the dead, or called fire down from heaven. But God displayed His greatest gift, the gift of His Spirit, by enabling the disciples to make His wonders known in the many languages of the world. God has a huge heart for the world.
In some small way, I think He has given me a piece of His heart. I have been praying for Him to make my heart like His, and He has answered by giving me a heart for the world, too. My passion for mission work is growing more and more global all the time. As I come to know God and see His heart for the world, it is beginning to rub off on me.
So there's no more doubt about it. I am going to Africa.
Now that the time is actually here, I attended an informational meeting a couple of weeks ago where I learned that I had approximately two weeks to turn in my application and $100 deposit. Suddenly, I only had 14 days to make a huge decision. I had previously been confident about making this decision. After all, I had been planning to do this since way back when, right? But suddenly, I became unsure. I kept thinking to myself, this is a big time commitment...and it costs a lot of money...and going to Africa this summer means not going back to Nicaragua, which creates a sore spot in my heart...What if another better opportunity comes up for this summer? I only had a few days to figure it all out.
I believe that God's Word speaks. Through the pages of Scripture, God's voice whispers to us personally, practically, and specifically. So in order to make my decision, I began to read God's Word and listen.
Two weeks seems like a short amount of time to make a big decision, but it only takes a few days in God's Word to see something rather significant: the Lord has a huge heart for the world. This past Sunday, a group called the Traveling Team spoke at our church about God's heart for the world. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible speaks time and time again of God's love for the nations, his desire for all men to know Him, and his mission for His salvation to reach every corner of the world. You can hardly read any portion of Scripture without seeing that God has a huge heart for the world.
When I was reading the Bible on my own this week, I discovered a piece of God's heart for the world in Acts 1-2. When the disciples asked Jesus if the time had come to restore the kingdom of Israel. He answered their question by saying, "You will be my witnesses...to the ends of the earth." Notice that He didn't really answer their question about the kingdom of Israel. That's because His mission is not just about Israel; it is about the world. His desire is for His kingdom to reach to the ends of the earth.
Then, when the day of Pentecost comes, God demonstrated the power and presence of His Spirit by allowing the apostles to speak in many languages to proclaim the "wonders of God." He could have chosen any miracle to represent the coming of His Spirit. The apostles could have healed the lame, raised the dead, or called fire down from heaven. But God displayed His greatest gift, the gift of His Spirit, by enabling the disciples to make His wonders known in the many languages of the world. God has a huge heart for the world.
In some small way, I think He has given me a piece of His heart. I have been praying for Him to make my heart like His, and He has answered by giving me a heart for the world, too. My passion for mission work is growing more and more global all the time. As I come to know God and see His heart for the world, it is beginning to rub off on me.
So there's no more doubt about it. I am going to Africa.
~~~~~
The following verses are a few examples of God's heart for the world found in Scripture:
(A resource from the Traveling Team)
Genesis 1:28
Genesis 9:1
Genesis 11:1-9
Genesis 12:1-5
Genesis 26:3-4
Genesis 28:13-15
Deuteronomy 4:5-6
Joshua 2:9-11
1 Samuel 17:45-46
1 Kings 10:23-24
Psalms 67:1-7
Daniel 3:28-29
Isaiah 49:6
Malachi 1:11
Matthew 24:14
Matthew 28:18-20
Luke 4:42-43
Acts 1:8
Romans 1:5
Romans15:20
Revelation 5:9
Revelation 7:9-10
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