Thoughts from Zach

This week has been an incredible week to say the least. We've had lots of adventures, seen many sights, done many things, and learned more about God. Our theme for this week revolved around being "here." Not just, here on a mission trip, but here in our lives at this time and place. The big question surrounding the "here" is "what's God's purpose for my life?" "Why does God need me here?" "Why am I here?" These questions are tough to answer, but there are a few things that can help solve these age old questions

New York City: roughly eleven million people. Eleven million! Each of these people have a story, a background, and a future. Many rush about their day enveloped by their work schedules, or other daily activities. Some are rich, some are poor. Some are happy, some are sad. Some are Christ followers, some are not. Regardless of what side of the spectrum they are on, they are all here in this moment. As we drove into the city back on Sunday, I couldn't help but thinking how much materialism has been put into this city. How many people walk around this city, and place their hope and trust in a city, job or other object.  Each morning would start with a devotional time. During these devotions we would take a look at some of the reasons we are "here." I'm quickly going to paraphrase these answers, so we can get a better understanding of why we are "here."

1. We are here to worship. Worship is essential to our faith. We are made to worship our Creator, made to worship God. Worship is the one thing God cannot give Himself, and He deserves worship so much. We learned this week that there is more to worship than just singing. The definition of worship is "an act designed to pursue, adore and give honor to another." If you think of things in this context, anything that brings honor to God is considered worship. Along with singing, praying, reading your Bible, and serving others are all forms of worship. Our first purpose for why we are "here" is to worship God.

2. We are here to invest. This is a know brainer in some respects. We are here to invest our time, talents, abilities, feelings, and actions into serving God. We learned this week that investing our abilities and talents bring worship to God. We are here to invest in other people. Why should we invest in others? Look at Jesus. He had every reason not to invest in us, but He was willing to come down and die on a cross because He loved us. Investing can be done in many ways, but it should always point back to God.

3. We are here to unite. We are here to unite with others and God. Most importantly, we need to unite under the body of Christ. A body cannot function if our heart decide it didn't like the brain. It needs to be united. Same goes for the body of believers. We need to unite our talents and abilities for God. This also looks different in many ways, but if we work for God's will, then we are doing what is pleasing to Him. Just as a body cannot function if it doesn't work together, so the Body of Christ cannot work together if we aren't unified. 

4. We are here to serve. We are here to serve others! Jesus' earthly ministry was about serving. We are here to follow His example, and serve others. Serving is an incredible way to reach others for Christ. Some ways  we served during the week included going to nursing homes and cleaning a park. I challenge all of us in this part to be more open to serving. Look for opportunities, and then do it. Jesus' earthly ministry was serving, shouldn't that be ours if we are following Him?

Each of these ways answer the previous questions in one way. Ultimately we are here to do God's will. As long as we live our lives according to the Bible, we will be walking in His will. As we get back from this trip, it is our goal to not become complacent, but continue to serve, unite, worship, and invest. Each and every person on this trip has learned something, and I know God has big plans for all of us. I have learned that serving God will bring about a worship that cannot be matched. If you would like to read more about this you can read Romans 12:1-12. Each verse corresponds to one of these points.

Zach