“I will follow you wherever you go.” (Lk. 9:57)
Ask yourself this question: Would I follow Jesus wherever he
goes? Can you give up the luxuries of a comfortable life, set aside your ambitions and follow Jesus? If you
are a Christian, the answer should always be “Yes!”
About six months before joining FMC, I started getting this
anxious feeling. I felt as though my heart was desiring this massive change in
my life. It took me some time to understand why, but one day while I was
reading scripture and upon seeing how the disciples of Jesus put their lives in
danger for the spread of the Gospel, I couldn’t seem to match the Christianity
I was living with theirs. I then realized that as long as I was living a
comfortable life, shying away from any kind of adversity in proclaiming the
Gospel, and ‘playing it safe’, then I was not following Christ! My faith had
never been tested. I must find out where Jesus is going, and follow Him.
So, I ask you: “Where does Jesus go today?”
Jesus goes wherever you go.
This is His challenge to us. He needs each one of us to ‘go
and proclaim the kingdom of God’. He has ‘nowhere to rest his head’, maybe, because
He is constantly at work in us proclaiming the Gospel message of salvation. This,
of course, is His desire. As long as we are proclaiming, He is proclaiming.
We must be stirred up, shaken, and uncomfortable for the
Gospel. For many, this will require you to go to a foreign land to proclaim His
name, offer His healing, and to make known to others, who have never heard His
name, salvation. “The number of those who do not know Christ and do not belong
to the Church are constantly on the increase… When we consider this immense
portion of humanity which is loved by the Father and for whom he sent his Son,
the urgency of the Church’s mission is obvious.” (Mission of the Redeemer)
The task is urgent; the message salvific. Stir up your heart,
and truly ask yourself: “Am I going where Jesus needs me to go?” Then, go out
to the harvest and get to work. Really, if you are a Christian, it is not a
choice. Missions is the life of the Church. If you are a believer in Christ, a
member of His Body, the Church, then missions is essential to your own life. Consider
that you, yourself, might be called to foreign missions. It is truly the best
life, because it is who you were made to be. So, be stirred up, restless, until
each heart rests in His.