It's Not About Me

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When I first came to do SBS my desire was to study the bible so that I could grow in my relationship with God and gain a deeper understanding of Him and His Word.  My last few blog updates have highlighted this personal growth, as I’ve explained how God has brought me through challenges these last nine months and has shifted my perspective in how I view Him and His Word.  As I approached the last week of SBS, I was saddened by the fact that this season was finally coming to an end.  But I was thankful for the newfound passion that I had for the bible, and for knowing that I had the rest of my life to study it.  It was just ten minutes into our last lecture that this newfound passion was challenged to the core: our speaker challenged us that if what we were walking away with at the end of these nine months was a deeper love for the bible, then we’ve completely missed the point.  That it wasn’t the bible that we were supposed to fall deeper in love with, but rather we were supposed to fall deeper in love with who the bible is about: Jesus.  Loving the bible is a good thing, but loving Jesus is better.  This challenge was exactly what I needed to hear as we finished our studies with the book of Matthew, where I was able to truly savor learning more about Jesus and the life he lived on earth as the fulfillment of God’s perfect plan.

            

After finishing SBS we had a three-day weekend to get some rest before starting the lecture phase of our Titus program, where we were going to learn how to teach everything that we had learned.  I was super excited about the opportunity that I was being given to be able to share all the goodness that I learned with others, in addition to gaining valuable teaching experience also!  As I am a teacher by profession, I was looking forward to learning some new teaching tips and honing my skills.  I showed up to class super excited to start, and low and behold within the first ten minutes my intentions were once again being challenged as our speaker told us, “If you’re here to become a better teacher, then you have come for the wrong reason.  Titus is not about becoming a better teacher; it’s about meeting the needs of the people. This is not about you, it’s about equipping others with tools to study the word of God so that they too can be transformed.” I instantly felt a deep conviction in my heart as I realized once again that I was making things all about me.  I realized that although SBS had been an amazing season where I was able to grow in my relationship with God, and that Titus was a privilege to be equipped with the skills to teach others, at the end of the day, it wasn’t about me at all!  Rather it’s about Jesus!   

The next morning I took some time to meditate on the things that God had shown me. As I was reading the bible God brought deeper understanding of the purpose he had for me, and what I was to do with all that he had given me.  As I was reading through the book of First Peter, I came across a verse which read, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”  (1 Peter 4:10-11).  I was reminded that everything that I have: from the things that I own, to my time, and my gifting as a teacher, all are from God, and at the end of the day I am just a steward of God’s grace.  I realized that God has given me the privilege to have these things, and that it’s up to me to decide how I’m going to use them: to benefit MYSELF in order that I might be glorified, or to be used by God to equip others for HIS glory. 

           

I’m thankful that God has shown me this as I prepare for outreach.  I’ve been privileged with the opportunity to pioneer a Titus project in Togo, as well as to go throughout churches in Togo and Burkina Faso to equip believers with tools that they need to be able to effectively study God's Word and bring truth to others.  All together the cost for the outreach including the airplane ticket, accommodations, meals, vaccinations, etc. amount to almost $2,000.  If you are interested in partnering with me in this opportunity, you’re welcome to make a donation using the PayPal link below.  As always prayer is appreciated, for myself as well as my fellow classmates as we finish off the lecture phase of Titus and prepare to go on outreach. 

           

If you’d like to know more about Titus or about the places that we’ll be visiting feel free to email me at: sunny_d3_85@yahoo.com.  Thank you once again for all of your support. 

Much love, Leslie =)

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