Love is the Agenda

Our LOVE is the way the world sees Christ. 

And that is what God has been drilling into my head over these past couple weeks. 

I came home from training camp feeling so empowered. So enthusiastic. So on fire. So ready. With such an urgency. But with such an agenda. 

I had all these specific people on my mind. People in my life who haven't come to know or accept Christ. And I had to get them to know and accept Christ before I left. Because they're in my life. I mean, God placed them there. So He's given me that responsibility, right? 

Wrong.

(Can you say SIGH OF RELIEF!?)

God has been telling me over and over and over again that it is NOT my job or my responsibility to make sure anyone is saved. That is HIS job, and HIS alone. I just need to point to Him. By the way I live. And the way I love. 

I've been reading My Utmost For His Highest, which is, hands down, the best daily devotional ever, as far as I'm concerned. And I'd like to share some of Oswald Chambers' words from the August 1st entry:

He comes where He commands us to leave. If you stayed home when God told you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequesnces to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where you begin to debate with Him and put what you call your duty into competition with His commands. If you say, "I know that He told me to go, but my duty is here," it simply means that you do not believe that Jesus means what He says. He teaches where He instructs us not to teach. Are we playing the part of an amateur providence, trying to pay God's role in the lives of others? Are we so noisy in our instruction of other people that God cannot get near them?

BAM BAM BAM. Can you say conviction? 

So when I leave…? He's gonna take care of everything here. He's got it all covered. MUCH BETTER than I ever could have. HE IS GOD HIMSELF.

So, that's nice. And I feel better. But in that case, what is my role here and now? I still have two weeks here at home before I leave. And God's telling me not to do HIS job. So what's MY job?

That's what I was asking Him. So, as a good and faithful father always does, He answered me. And He did so through another book. A book called "Reckless Faith." A book that I strongly encourage you to read. The author, Beth Guckenberger shared a realization:

I don't have to muster up anything. I don't need to carry the gospel anywhere. It's already everywhere. God has not been passively involved. Suddenly I know that I am His foray into the situation. He isn't relying on me to literally carry His presence – He has been present all along. All I need to do is just reflect God so others can see Him more clearly, with flesh on. And the best way I can think to do that is through love.

So there you go. It sounds so simple, but I had been totally overlooking it. Love. That's it. That's my job. That's my only responsibility. Not this list of people who I need to see come to Christ within the next 2 weeks. I have no power over that. And I'm not supposed to. HE is.

So I'm stepping out of the way. 
And loving people HIS way. 
So He can be seen as THE WAY.