When I am speaking to children, teens and adults, I often talk about the importance of living out our faith in the missions field God has planted us in.  There are some AMAZING resources about how to be a missionary in different contexts (in your school, in your neighborhood, in your home, and at work) and some practical ideas about ways to serve as individuals and as a family.

However, the first step in being a missionary, is having a Missionary Mindset.  What thoughts do missionaries think that cause them to move beyond their comfort zones into intentional conversations with those God has placed in their lives?  Here are some thoughts to ponder.

If I am a follower of Jesus, I am a missionary.   Missionaries are not just the ones who are sent overseas.  We are all called to share the truth about Jesus and the life and freedom He gives whenever we get the chance.

I am not on this earth for my own pleasure and comfort.  God placed us here to seek right relationship with and give others the opportunity to do the same.  If we live our lives for our own pleasure and comfort, we will never talk to someone else about Jesus or our relationship with Him.  It’s uncomfortable and time consuming and we’d rather be doing… almost anything else.

If someone had not shared the truth about Jesus with me, I would be lost on my own and hopeless.  There are hundreds of people we see every day who have no hope.  Some of them think of ending their lives for lack of hope and purpose.  God has a purpose for their lives and you know what that purpose is. Someone shared your purpose with you in telling you about Jesus.  It takes effort and self-sacrifice, but sharing purpose and hope with someone can change their entire lives and may elongate that precious life and bring more eternal impact into the lives of those that person loves.

There is nothing more important than being obedient to God.  We are selfish people and want to spend “our time” certain ways… usually on our comfy couches, remote in hand.  We think we deserve certain comforts for our labor and distractions from the work we do. Our work is actually to praise God with our entire lives and that work is a gift and gives us purpose.  Rest is good…. God said so. However, if your rest is taking away from time God has asked to spend with you or from time better spent with someone in His name, it’s wasted and useless time. There must be an intentionality about rest – it must happen in order to be restored to the energy we need to do more of His work when the rest time is done.

It is not us (those who are saved) and them (those who are not).  We ALL need Jesus ALL the time.  We may know the truth about what He has saved us from and have accepted His gifts of mercy and grace, but we don’t need Him any less now than we did then.  We are not better than, we are on mission to let others know there is more, there is freedom, and there is hope.

If you already think these thoughts, press on, sibling!  If you want to think these thoughts, ask for God to give you the Mind of Christ and you soon will.  If you think I’m crazy, I agree. I am crazy in love with the Jesus who saved me, purposed me, and gives me the opportunity to encourage you.

-Beth