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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Willingness (02/21/05)
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation,”(1) said the Minister as he wrapped up the sermon. Jane was seated amidst the congregation, listening to the message, the entire while the Holy Spirit convicting her of the Great Commission. The call for volunteers for mission work had been announced many times in the service, for several weeks now. Jane heard the nudging voice of the Holy Spirit telling her to get up and go, to move in response to the call to serve, to preach the Gospel to those whose ears had not yet heard of the saving grace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. But instead, she tried to reason with that voice, “Surely God knows I’m just on the verge of getting promoted to managing director. I mean, I’ve worked so hard for so many years to climb up the corporate ladder and realise my dream of making MD. Even God says in His Word that He wants to fulfill the desires of my heart, and that His plans are to give me a future and a hope. O God, I pray, what would You have me do?”
That night Jane had a startling dream. She dreamt that she was standing on a hilltop, and several sheep were grazing on a pasture below. Suddenly the Lord appeared before her and said to her, “Jane, do you love me more than anything?” Jane replied, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” The Lord said to her, “Feed my lambs.” A second time He said to her, “Jane, beloved child of God, do you love me?” A second time Jane replied, “Of course, Lord; You know that I love You.” Then the Lord said to her, “Tend my sheep.” A third time He said to her, “Jane, beloved daughter of God, do you love me?” Jane did not understand why the Lord kept asking her, “Do you love me?” So she said to Him, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” The Lord then said to her, “Feed my sheep.” And after this He said to her, “Follow me.”(2)
Waking up the next morning, Jane realised that the dream had been a message from God, and that His Will for her had now been made clear; to serve God would be better than to serve her own ambition, for that would show that she put God first before everything, and that she loved Him more than anything. “The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” she thought to herself. Then she chose to seek God more and opened her Bible to the book of Jeremiah, and read the 29th chapter, from verse 11 to verse 14. It said, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”
When she read this, Jane ceased worrying about her job and likely promotion. She knew God would bless her much more if she sought Him and was willing to serve Him. The mission team would be leaving in a week’s time and she was not going to be left behind. Hurriedly, she prepared herself and was soon out the door, headed straight to the church to put her name down for mission work. Afterward, Jane would go and see her boss on the issue and tell him that she would be somewhere working for her Lord, for the next six months. She was not worried one bit about her boss’ reaction to what she had to say to him; all she felt was peace, joy and blessed assurance. And the words of the verse, “But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well,”(3) were always put into action in her life from that day onwards.

(1) Mark 16:15.
(2) Adapted from John 21:15-19.
(3) Matthew 6:33.
(All Scripture quoted from RSV)
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Member Comments
Member
Date
donna robinson
03/02/05
I was reading the comment above and it reminded me that so often we do not know why we are led to write something. The words just seem to write themselves. What an amazing way the Lord has to use us. Except for dividing it into paragraphs for easier reading, this was a simple and powerful message
Phyllis Inniss 
03/07/05
The Lord also led me to read your message and a powerful one it is. I was going to stop after reading the previous poem, then I decided to read one more and am I glad that I did. I'm really pleased that you had that dream and followed God's leading.