The following is a part of our weekly devotional series, which is a companion to the 2013 Foursquare Life Journal. This week’s Bible reading comes from 2 Kings 23; 2 Chron. 35; Jer. 1-9; Hab. 1-3; Zeph. 1-3; and John 7-13.
Jeremiah told the story of how his identity and mission were established when God showed up and said, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5 NIV).
Jeremiah’s response was, “I am too young” (v. 6). God then gave him the secret to effective mission fulfillment: “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you” (vv. 7-8). God would empower Jeremiah in a manner that the people would know he was sent by God and speaking for God when he followed this plan.
In our reading from the Book of John, Jesus described His identity and mission in a similar way. To paraphrase from John 8, Jesus was saying: “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father. I say nothing on My own, I do nothing on My own, only what I hear the Father say, only what I see the Father do.” Jesus also spoke about the Father being with Him in a compelling fashion, saying in John 12:44-45: “Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me only, but in the One who sent Me. The one who looks at Me is seeing the One who sent Me.”
This year at Connection in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., one of our “fathers” in the Foursquare family, Jerry Cook, talked to us as only a true spiritual father can. He reminded us who we are and what we are to be about. It was imprinted on my heart as one of those moments when everyone gathers around to share an important family conversation. His words were clear, his passion was evident, and he reminded us that as the body of Christ, wherever we go there Jesus is in all of His saving grace, empowering presence, healing virtue and very present help! Let me say that again: Wherever we go, there He is.
Jeremiah, Jesus and Jerry all tell us the most important things for engaging mission:
- Know you are His and have been called for this.
- Know He is always with you.
- Know you only go, say and do what He tells you.
I want to add my name to this list; hopefully, you will want to add yours, too, that we will all be able to say, like Jeremiah, Jesus and Jerry: “When they look at me, they see the One who sent me.”
By: Tammy Dunahoo, vice president of U.S. operations and general supervisor for The Foursquare Church
Download the yearlong reading plan (PDF, 80 KB), or sign up for the full, online version of the Life Journal. To purchase a Life Journal for your own use, or to place a bulk order for church-wide use, visit FoursquareJournal.com. Learn more about Foursquare’s 2013 Life Journal project.
