Saturday, March 04, 2006

What I Learned in School

2 Samuel 24:24 says "nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing." I’ve had the revelation that, after all He has done for us, our sacrifices to God should be somewhat painful. Though the DTS course has been the hardest six months of my life, I feel like I have grown so much and learned many significant lessons.

One of the biggest things I learned is that when we truly seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness, God rewards our faithfulness (Matthew 6:33). Just as a related sidenote, I bought my wedding dress a couple of days ago! The first one I ever even tried on. I felt like God handed me the most beautiful dress I had ever seen (and I have looked at quite a few online over the past couple of months) with a $1000 discount. So amazing!
Partially because a lot of the time I had nothing else to do, I dug deeper in the Word than I ever have before in my life. I was actually given the nickname "verse girl" by one of our team members. I have grown to truly love to grow closer to God by reading the Bible. It has really become my bread of life.

Is that really You God? is the title of one of Loren Cunningham’s (founder of YWAM) books. I have realised how important it is to use the Lord as a filter for everything we are told and for any doors that happen to open. I often find myself asking, "Is that really You God?"

I have also learned the significance that one person can have on the lives of others. Telling one single person about Christ can impact generation after generation. Christobel, an Indian native, was one of our leaders on outreach. Her parents became Christians because a missionary came to their village to tell them about Christ 50 years ago. Her life and passion for the Lord had such an amazing influence on my life. It made me really think about whether or not what I am doing today is going to last beyond my lifetime.

EGR – Extra grace is definitely required when living in community. God has given me a revelation that no matter how much grace I give to others, it will never surpass the amount of grace that He has given me. I have also experienced that prayer for more grace really works – praise God.

Out of all of this, the most important confirmation I have gotten is that missions is truly my hearts desire. Nothing could satisfy me more. I continually want to use the gifts, skills, talents and resources that God blesses me with to reach the lost. I don’t exactly know what is next, but I do feel that God is calling me to work in full time ministry. Does anyone have a job offer? :)

Last night was our DTS graduation. It’s hard to believe that it is actually over. Somewhat bittersweet, I suppose – I am going to really miss all of the amazing friends that I have made, but, at the same time, I am so ready to come home. God bless you, thank you so much for your prayers and I’ll see you soon!