Counting...

With just under two and a half weeks left, I find myself counting many things. I'm counting down the days until I go home to spend time with my family. At the same time, I'm counting down the days until I leave this wonderful nation to live among the Tswana people of Botswana and share God's message with them. I'm counting prayer partners and my sincere appreciation for their willingness to intercede for me and my people group. I'm counting friends that I've made and thanking God for blessing me with such amazing 'co-laborers.' I'm counting the number of my goals that I still need to meet before the end of FPO. I'm counting two more shots to go before I'm done! I'm counting and counting and counting so many things. Then Saturday night during worship, we were reminded to count the cost of leaving the comfort and security of home, family, job, and all that is familiar to follow God's call to "go." That statement just kind of stopped me in my tracks. Have I really counted the cost? Can I really do this? Is all this really worth it? The answer is a resounding YES!!! Let me elaborate... Of course I can't do any of this on my own - "God is my strength and my salvation" (Psalm 27:1) and only through His power and to His glory will I be able to accomplish the task He has set before me. I can't save the people of Botswana from HIV, much less from their sin - but my God can and I am so humbled and so excited that He would allow me to be His tool in doing just that. Is the task worth it? How could it not be worth it? God is not willing that any should perish. And as for counting the cost - if I allow myself to look selfishly on leaving everything familiar behind it may seem like I am making a big sacrifice. But that is just NOT the truth. What do I have that is not His? And did God not save me from my sin that I would live in Christ? (Romans 6:8 - Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.) That means my life should glorify God in obedience joyfully - that is not a sacrifice. And could I even begin to call what I am leaving behind a sacrifice when God sent beautiful, sinless Jesus to the cross to pay for the sin of the world? Oh, I pray that I remember everyday what a privilege it is to serve the Lord and that I never begin to pridefully and selfishly call my going a sacrifice.