Skip to main content

On Mission

 Have you ever done something for many, many years? When you've done things for a long time, you create habits and ways of doing things. Your body learns to run on autopilot. You may have experienced it before. Have you ever driven somewhere that you go to frequently and not been sure about the journey there? Something else was on your mind and muscle memory just took over. Voila! You were at your destination. Doing things over and over again makes an indentation on us that lasts a while. 

For the past 16 ½ years I have driven 5-7 days per week to the college for work. Monday, I will take another path to work. God has called me to serve His people in His ministry. Rather than traveling south to the college, I'll head north to the Port of Manatee for my first day as Executive Director/Chaplain at Anchor House Mission. I first learned of the mission at our church as it was highlighted as a mission we support regularly. At that time, I had no idea that God was threading a needle for me to later serve Him at Anchor House. 

My point to all of this is that after we do something for a long time it's easy to get in routine. Change is hard. We are creatures of habit and change can be tough. It takes us out of our routine and our routine offers safety. 

But, in our routine God is still at work. Too often our routine muffles God's call and we fail to recognize God's little nudges to action. The question is are we willing to listen and move off of autopilot of our routine? I'm not trying to say you need to leave your job and enter the mission field. Your call may be to serve at Downtown Ministries or student ministries or Anchor House. It may be that you are called to share Jesus with a co-worker or pray with a homeless person or simply do a random act of kindness. We should live each day as if we are on a mission. Our mission is to Love God and Love His children (Matthew 22:37-40).

When you love something you pay attention to it and care for it. To love God you honor Him with how you live the life He has given you. You listen to Him. You love what He loves. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16).

God is on the move. Shake the routine. Be open. Be ready. Be on mission.

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt

Comments

  1. Everyday presents to opportunities to be a witness of God's love to others. Even going in a new direction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I completely agree. But it's easy to slip into routine and ignore those opportunities.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anchor House: Week 6 Buried Treasure

When I started at Anchor House I committed to write at least one blog per week. Writing is something I enjoy and a way I get to interact with God. I can recall wanting to write about Anchor House in the days before I started, but my knowledge was limited..  To be honest I felt like I knew three things before I joined Anchor House. First,  Anchor House was a mission at Port Manatee (the Seaport, not the jail) Second, I knew it was a mission that my church, Westside Christian Church, supported with our Show Love funds.  Third, I knew God was calling me to serve Him there. However, what happened at Anchor House day to day was something of a mystery to me.   After being here for a few weeks I have learned quite a bit. I know where to look to find out when ships are coming in or departing.  I have learned that I am just tall enough to hit my head where most seafarers don’t. I have learned that flexibility is the key to serving at a seaport. One of th...

Bold Like Stephen

I've always admired people who aren't afraid to be bold in their convictions.  It is the kind of boldness that allows them to stand out in the crowd. There is just something different about how these people view and engage the world around them.  The movie “Hacksaw Ridge” portrays a man that exemplifies what I mean by bold.  He was drafted to serve in World War II but refused to bear arms because of religious reasons. Yet, he still managed to receive the Congressional Medal of honor. Without a weapon in his hand, he saved 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa. Despite his objection to violence, he still served his country. Despite his objection to war he found a way to love his neighbor. He was bold.  When I think of bold in the Bible, I think of Stephen. Acts 6:8 says, "Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people." Stephen faced opposition to his teachings. Those that opposed his teachings couldn't ...

Anchor House Week 13- Job

Trish and I have had this wonderful discussion about the fact that we don't have jobs. I've had jobs before. When you are first starting in a new job it is exciting and you work passionately. Many times there is a shift that occurs. From the get to attitude to the have to attitude, "I have to go to work today." Jobs have the ability to consume our lives because we have our compass pointed in the wrong direction. When we chase a promotion and a paycheck it leads us down an empty path. They may consume us, but they are just a job.  Trish and I agree, serving God and his people at Anchor House is better described as a calling. We get the chance to live as missionaries right here in our own town. God invites us to serve Him and His people in this very special way. We get to show His love and share the Good News with a local, regional, and global impact. Jobs can be replaced when the person chooses. You simply decide you want to do something else, quit your jo...