February 23, 2015 - Success is Found in the Journey

This morning as I opened up my phone to check messages, I saw that I was tagged in a Facebook post. The post was from one our MAD coaches in NC (this guy is truly Making A Difference!) He was talking about the awesome privilege to be able to use the things he loves (music and hoops) as a platform to share Christ. He closed out the post this way:

“The point is, if you are questioning what God's will for your life is, think back to what made ya smile when you were small. Then, figure out how to use it to tell about His redeeming love. Have A Great Week Y'all! Proverbs 3:5~6” (Justin Stewart – MAD Hoops NC)

I love the excitement in these guys! I am so proud to be their teammate… I loved what Justin shared and it reminded me of a quote from the great coach John Wooden. He stated, “Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.”

When Christ shared that His will is for us to “Go… and preach the Gospel” He was actually talking about our journey not about a destination. The word “Go” is the Greek poreuomai which means “to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one’s journey.” (BibleStudyTools.com) So another way to translate that command is “As you are going…” or in other words share the Gospel in the everyday world in which you live doing the things you love.

I do believe that God at times leads us to a specific destination but the will of God is that from the moment we trust Christ as our Substitute (Savior) we begin our mission trip/journey.

Our success is being faithful along the journey! It’s not necessarily just about the week or two we call a short-term mission trip; or the summer we spend abroad in service. Those are just parts of what should be a daily devotion to the will of God. “Missions is not a destination, it’s a journey!”

And in remembering that the Scriptures teach us that there are “differences of ministries, but the same Lord.” (See 1 Corinthians 12:5) The word “differences” literally means “a different distribution to different persons.” (BibleStudyTools.com) So for me and the other MAD coaches we get the joy of using hoops and music. What things do you love to do? Find others who love that as well and use that platform to share Christ! Go MAD!