I wrote the blog on February 27 about conviction and the assaults of the devil and I am afraid it was taken the wrong way. I somehow made it sound as if the missionary task is lonely, sometimes thankless, and perhaps joyless. It may be lonely and sometimes thankless, but nothing could be further from the truth that it is joyless.
Here is an email I received –
Ouch! We must find joy in serving our Lord; even in midst of the evil the devil wants us to see, feel, hear. It is serious work but, I say again, there is joy — you know it! You preach it whether you know it or not – remember the faith of little children — who are more joyous?
If we are not happy and excited about serving our Lord – what picture do we give the non-Christian world?
Good questions. Of course there is joy in serving but there is also the daily assaults of the devil and the brokenness of the world. The picture is of John who is a vicar and the chaplain at the school in Palmar Arriba. John had a tough life by any standards and since I don’t have his permission to write about something that sensitive and private let me just share with you that John walks up that hill several times a week if not a day. He has a smile on his face all the times that I have met him. His love of Christ is evident in his music. He is happy and excited about serving the Lord. He was brought to the faith by our missionaries. Here is the basis of our joy ——-
1 Peter 1:8-9
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
