Paul and Silas died to self when they sang at midnight. They didn’t just sing, they sang loudly! They sang so loud that the other prisoners heard them. I often smile thinking about how bad they might have sounded! No doubt they proclaimed the faithfulness of God by singing hymns from the Old Testament. Maybe Today’s Treasure verse was one of them, as they clung to the promise of morning resurrection after midnight weeping.
Paul and Silas fixed their eyes on the goal of every minute of their lives and deaths reflecting Christ. They believed in a future feast, whether in their relationship to Jesus on earth or in heaven. Paul’s mission statement, rooted in the glory of God, created a fence that kept him walking by faith toward his ultimate destination.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
If you don’t have a mission statement, I suggest you do some research on how to write one and at the same time, pray that the Lord gives you a life verse that encapsulates your mission. The Scripture engraved on our wedding rings helps guide us to surrender to God’s purposes when life throws us a curve. I am still learning to go back to that mission statement and praying through my emotions, to learn how I can make the kingdom of God and His righteousness my priority in my responses to life. One passage of Scripture that helps me develop what this practically looks like is:
Things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which He commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds
but would keep His commands.
Psalm 78:3-7 NIV
How will your mission statement reflect the call of God to tell the next generation and the ones not yet born, about His ocean of love?
STORE UP MORE TREASURES
At some point in our lives, we or someone we know will go through great suffering. I encourage you to go the MARKINC website and listen to the interview "Teens and Porn" so that you can store up treasures of encouragement for the next rainy day in your life or someone else's. Here is a summary and teaser of this resource:
When encouraged to protect their children from tech invasions, many parents vehemently declare that their child is so innocent and so protected, they are not concerned. Sadly, these parents are often in the dark when it comes to what their young children have already seen and experienced through innocent interaction in video games, research for reports, etc. In this interview, parents learn about additional layers of protection and how to talk to their children about the dangers of porn and how to respond when exposed.