Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
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Intimacy with God must be the constant pursuit of any disciple of Jesus. This is even more true of those of us who want to see Kingdom impact through our lives and ministries. The following article is a guest contribution by Kima Hmar.
Six months ago, I decided to adopt a puppy from my neighbors. This puppy, we affectionately named Kurly. She soon won our hearts and filled our silence. Tiny, obnoxious, cute, and infuriating, she chewed on everything she could sink her little teeth into.
Some days, I thought perhaps I made a mistake adopting her! One day, as I sat holding her tiny frame sleeping on my lap. I realized how frail and completely at my mercy she was. I could either snap her neck and kill her if I wanted to right at that moment, or continue to nurture her growth until she became a healthy strong adult.
When Jesus conversed with His disciples in John fifteen, He was deeply aware of the frailty of humanity. He understood our complete reliance on God to nurture us into healthy people whose lives bear the fruit of love.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:4 NIV.
Kurly has grown stronger and can now move about doing many things. At the end of the day, however, she still needs to draw her source of nurture and care from me. We are not dogs, neither are we branches of a grapevine. These metaphors draw our attention to the reality that God is our life source. We are called to become those who reflect the love of God to our neighbors. This comes from an abiding life with Him.
We were created for intimacy – a depth of relationship where we are known and loved. This intimacy forms us into people who can love others, the lost, and creation in a way that is safe and good.
The dilemma for many of us is this. Though we know this to be true, our perception of God is marred by our life experiences. Intimacy can be scary territory. What we want to know is whether this God who has called us to Himself is safe.
Moses knew very little of the God of his ancestors when he first started his ministry. His perception of God was likely embedded in the Egyptian mythology of gods and goddesses. As he began the journey of knowing Yahweh, his internal perception was loaded with a disorienting view of God. It is much the same for us.
When God showed His glory to Moses in Exodus 34, He revealed himself in ways Moses did not expect. A god is expected to be terribly powerful, able to command blessings and curses as he sees fit. Yahweh, however, was unlike any other gods Moses had ever known. When He came to Moses, He proclaimed His compassion, grace, abounding love, and mercy. Even His punishment of the wicked is set within the context of His unending love and forgiveness.
God’s revelation of Himself to Moses provides us with a lens through which we can see God. When Jesus came and dwelt in our midst, He expounded on this Old Testament revelation of God by His life and actions. When He forgave sinners, sat with the children, cared for the widow, confronted the hypocrites and oppressors – Jesus revealed God to us. This God has called us to Himself and is safe. He will not harm, but heal. He will not condemn but forgive. This is the love that invites us to an abiding intimacy where we can draw our very life from Him.
I have worked in a voluntary mission organization for twenty-four years. I freely admit that in the busyness of doing the work of mission, I have often failed to create enough space to nurture my life with God. As a missionary….or as a believer, I am called to love God and my neighbors.
The big question is – will my love be safe like God’s, or will it harm rather than heal? My intimacy with God is the wellspring and source of love and compassion for others. I must be willing to develop practices in my life to create space for my intimacy to deepen with God.
There are three Christian spiritual disciplines I incorporate into my life as a way of deepening my communion with God. I invite you to join me in these. These disciplines are simple, small, and measurable. For the last five years, they have been an instrument the Holy Spirit has used to strengthen my intimacy with God in profound ways:
I choose one of my everyday normal routines as a space to be aware of God. One of the first things I do in the morning is to splash my face with cold water. For nearly five years now, every morning when I wash my face, I recite the Lord’s prayer. I imagine the Holy Spirit awakening my senses towards God as the cold water awakens me from my sleepiness.
Is there a daily routine you can choose such as driving to work, washing your hands, or walking up or down the stairs? Could you make this a holy space to meet with God? Choose a short verse or prayer to recite as you do this routine activity.
This was developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola. It’s a prayer where you spend at least five minutes before you go to sleep at night asking the Holy Spirit to help you review the day. Ask Him to bring to light when you were most attuned to God during the day and when you weren’t (for me, it’s always when I’m driving that I am least aware of God!!).
As He reveals the events to you, take a moment to be grateful. Ask forgiveness and offer a prayer for a greater capacity to be aware of God throughout the next day.
Choose any moment in your day when you can find space to be completely undisturbed and silent. Get rid of noise, music, and even reading scripture. For that moment, simply invite the Holy Spirit to come and sit with you. What God will speak to you about in this quiet “selah” (pause) moment of your day is profound.
I do this thirty minutes every day. That may be too much for you to start with. Even three or four minutes is a great beginning. Then slowly increase it.
Doing this has created depth with God. It has changed my pace of work from one that is driven to succeed, to one that is much more rested in God.
The crisis with Covid-19, and the busyness of your life and ministry can become holy ground. It can be a place where you meet with the infinite God of love and grace. I pray that as your life with Him is deepened, you might draw from Him the capacity to act lovingly and compassionately towards others around you.
Which of these three disciplines is new to you?
Choose one to try this week. Let us know how it goes for you on the Missionary Life Facebook page.
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“Knowing God is about a relationship, not religion,” we tell people. This is true! We believe it. If we are honest, though, there are times when our relationship with God can feel pretty religious. We go through the motions without much connection. Dryness creeps in, perhaps even a bit of boredom. What can we do when we feel spiritually dry?
First, if you are experiencing spiritual dryness, you are not alone. Don’t condemn or get angry with yourself. That doesn’t help. We all go through these times, but we don’t have to stay there. We can cultivate a fresh closeness with God.
To keep our relationship with God alive, we need to be consistent in spiritual disciplines like Bible study and prayer. Everyone knows this, so that is no news to any of us. We also need spontaneous “fun” times with Jesus. Ignore the basic disciplines and you won’t stay spiritually healthy. That is true on the mission field or elsewhere. But legalism kills. When those disciplines become duties and “shoulds”, they no longer give life.
I am a runner, but some days I just don’t feel like running. The blanket is cozy around me. I’m enjoying sitting in my favorite chair sipping hot coffee. What if I skipped my run today? Does it matter that much? No. Not really. But it makes it easier to skip my run again tomorrow. Before I know it, I’m no longer doing the exercise I need to stay healthy. I’ve lost my habit. It is then much harder to start again.
Spiritual exercise is the same way. Sometimes we just don’t feel like it. And, no, if we miss a day or two of Bible reading or prayer, it isn’t going to make God angry with us! He loves us and truly understands when we are just too busy or tired to do our normal devotions. But when those habits drop off, our relationship with God (and spiritual health) is sure to suffer too.
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”
Tim. 4:8 NIV
Keeping yourself spiritually healthy on the mission field has got to be a top priority! If your own spiritual health begins to deteriorate, so will your fruitfulness. No matter how many ministry demands and pressures are present, make time to do what is necessary to keep your own relationship with God growing.
There are two commonly taught lists of spiritual disciplines. The first is found in Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline, published in 1978. Foster writes of three types of spiritual disciplines; inward, outward and corporate.
Dallas Willard in his book Spirit of the Disciplines gave a similar though slightly different list. His list contains many of the same things as Foster, but with several additions; self-denial, sabbath, secrecy, and soul friendship.
See this excellent article by Bill Gaultiere called Insights and Applications of Spiritual Disciplines.
I’ve found it helpful to regularly review these two lists of spiritual disciplines and ask myself how I am doing in my godliness training routines. Are there disciplines I have neglected? Get my free checklist with both Foster and Willard’s lists via the form below.
While all the disciplines are important, these are core disciplines we need in order to stay healthy in our spiritual lives. These
It seems strange, but even as missionaries, it is easy for us to neglect these. We get busy doing ministry and fail to stop and take in nourishment for ourselves. We read the Bible, but only in order to prepare our next sermon or Bible study. How are you doing at these five basics?
I love that Foster includes “celebration” as a spiritual discipline. Did you know that it is spiritual to celebrate? God designed us to need
Silence is another one that many do not practice. It can be very life giving. Have you ever gone on a silent retreat? Taken a day away from work and ministry to be alone with God, not speaking to anyone but Him? Turn off even your worship music and allow your heart to become still. It is amazing what God will bring to the surface if we are willing to practice silence and solitude.
As you consider these spiritual disciplines, do you see any gaps? Areas you need to recommit yourself to spiritual training in? Take a moment and jot down that commitment in your journal. Or send a message to your accountability partner. Let them know that this next few months you will be working to develop in this area of your spiritual life.
I am a disciplined and goal-oriented person. Faithful to my routines, I regularly exercise both my body and spirit. I have found that just as in my relationship with my husband, if I want to keep my relationship with God alive, spontaneity is helpful. When things become too routine in my spiritual life, it helps to do something different and new.
Here are examples of things I’ve done. Give one of these a try if your relationship with Jesus is feeling dry. For a few days, skip your normal routines of Bible reading and prayer. Use that time (or choose another time) to do something creative and different with Jesus.
There are many creative, fun ways to stimulate your love relationship with Jesus.
What have you tried that brought new life? I’d love to hear about it in the comments or on the Missionary Life Facebook page!
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In missions (and life), I’m not big on formulas. I’ve found that often A+ B just doesn’t equal C. But in John 15, Jesus gives us a simple answer for how to become more fruitful.
After returning from a long trip, it is so good to get back to my normal routines. One of my favorite daily rituals is having my quiet time. I wake up, grab some coffee and go to my secret place. I plop down in my favorite spot, a comfortable couch that overlooks my garden.
Every morning, that is where I meet with God. I listen to His voice and process my life with Him. Worship, reading scripture, prayer, and then simply sitting in His Presence receiving from Him are a daily habit.
Do you have a secret place? A “spot” where you regularly meet with God?
Establishing spiritual rhythms and rituals need not be something legalistic. They can be life-giving. A spiritual habit of abiding in Jesus is crucial to living fruitful on the mission field.
Remaining in Him goes beyond just having a regular quiet time though. As John 15 tells us, abiding in Jesus also means learning to love and obey. These must also become spiritual habits in our lives.
Being on the move takes a lot out of me, especially in certain contexts. I recently visited a city where travel is challenging. Traffic jams, noise, pollution, and the dirt all around make it more difficult to feel connected to God’s Spirit.
The spiritual environment is difficult there too. Temples blare out chants and music that rubs against my spirit. Pushy and aggressive people around me shout and shove each other (and me), as I try to get off the vehicle I’ve boarded.
I feel myself getting angry inside. Instead of love, I start to feel something else. It is disdain. And maybe even a tiny bit of (let’s be honest and call it what it is) hate.
How natural it is in those situations for me to give in to the feelings rising inside!
It is so much easier to push back, roll my eyes and give people dirty looks than to pray for them. I often don’t “feel” loving toward those who are so rude and demanding around me.
Yet this is where my faith is tested. It is in situations like these where I find out how well I am doing at abiding in Jesus. I can choose to obey His command to love others or give in to my fleshly desire to feel justified in my frustration.
It is in those times that the reserves I have built up from regularly going to my secret place pay off. If my “love tank” is filled up because I’ve received from Jesus’ love, I easily overcome. I am kind and gracious. But when I’m empty inside, it isn’t so easy.
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:12-14 NIV.
John 15 is such a key passage of scripture when we talk about fruitfulness in our Christian lives! In this passage, the word fruit is repeated many times. Equally prominent are the words love and remain (or abide). There is another keyword there too. It is the word obey (or command). How do these things tie together?
The first part of the chapter focuses on remaining in Christ. It describes the connection of this with fruitfulness.
– “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.”
– “Neither can you bear fruit, unless you remain in me.”
– “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.”
– “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, it will be done for you.”
It is easy to see that remaining in Him is crucial for fruitfulness! I’m sure that isn’t a new idea for you. What does it really mean to remain in Him? To stay connected to His presence?
The next section of the chapter gives us the answer to that question we so often puzzle over.
We must love and obey. When we love and obey Jesus, we are remaining in Him. The evidence of our connection to Christ is our love for others and our obedience to Jesus’ commands.
– “Remain in my love.”
– “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love.”
– “Love each other, as I have loved you.”
– “You are my friends if you do what I command.”
– “This is my command: Love each other.”
The evidence that we are abiding in Him, remaining connected to Jesus is our love for others.
The Father loved Jesus. He loved us. Now we love others. That is the flow of the vine that will bear fruit.
So how are you doing at loving others? Do you struggle to love your team members well? Do you have a hard time letting go of an offense?
What about lost people? How are you doing at loving the unreached who live around you? Do they annoy and anger you? Or is your heart filled with love and compassion for them?
The answer is probably mixed. I know mine is! Some days I am overwhelmed with love for both the lost and for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Like Peter, I am ready to make bold declarations of my willingness to die for them! Other days, well, not so much.
On some days, I am even downright rude in my reactions to those who rub me wrong. The person in the vegetable stall who decides to change the rules about how he weighs the vegetables. The person who shoves me as I get off the bus or airplane. Or the co-worker who gets so distracted that they can’t complete their work. Even after many reminders!
Like you, I want my life to be fruitful in the Kingdom. I love the promises in this passage! “Ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you!” That inspires my faith. But there are conditions attached to the promise. Things I must fulfill in order to ask for great things from God.
So here is the formula I find in John 15.
First, I must stay in His love. I need to receive it. (Both my daily dose during quiet time and the continual flow as I stay connected to Jesus throughout the day.) Then I must release it to my friends, neighbors, co-workers and most of all to my own family members.
As I, by His grace, obey the command to love others well, my life will bear fruit. His promise is true. There will be much, much fruit in my missionary endeavors, and that fruit will last.
Let me encourage you, go to that secret place once again. Get alone with the Master and receive His love afresh. Then get busy obeying His command to actively love those around you. Fruit is on the way!
What is the best way you have found to “abide in Jesus”? Let me know in the comments or on the Missionary Life Facebook Group.
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