The Future Ahead of You! A Call to Missionary Trainer-Graduates!

Vasanthi Isaiah, M.A.

Time to Fly Out!

Our dear graduates, Ah, we will miss you so much! It gives us great joy to see you moving on to another phase of your lives and ministry. We, your teachers, have been involved quite closely in your lives one way or the other in the course of your training with us. Indeed, how fast time flies, and it’s time to go!

As you graduate I’d like to share with you something that is very dear to my heart and also something that I believe will empower your ministry – and that is developing a personal and intimate relationship with God.

The Need for Intimacy With the Lord

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for each of us to develop this intimacy with our Lord and so I would like to share with you a few steps that I believe are the foundation of this relationship.

Firstly we need to submit ourselves to God and allow God’s rule to reign in our lives. Submission involves crucifying our own fleshly desires and surrendering every part of our life to Him. We need to continually and actively seek His will and direction for our lives.

Secondly we need to come before Him with humble and contrite hearts, laying aside our pride. Although God wants us to come to him confidently we also need to acknowledge that He is far greater and higher than us and the only way we can approach Him is by keeping ourselves humble and not allowing our pride to blind us. God will grant you success in your ministry but you must never allow yourselves to become proud because you are only a tool in the hands of an Almighty God. As I read about Joseph in the Bible I found that he was a man who exemplified humility, specifically when he was asked to interpret one of Pharaoh’s dreams, he made it clear that it was not in him but that it was God in him who gave him the ability to interpret dreams. I believe that this was one of the secrets of his success.

Thirdly we need to go to God continually, drawing our strength and wisdom from him everyday. It is not enough to go to Him once or twice a week or whenever we feel we need to, it is a daily process just as a branch draws from the vine.

Lastly we need to persevere in maintaining this intimate relationship even when it seems difficult. There will be many distractions that will come in the way, and there will also be times when we may not have a desire to spend time with God as a result of our own fleshly wants; but these are the very times when we need to spend time with Him. And when you allow your minds to relax and focus on Him you will find that spending time in God’s presence is worth all the effort you spent and all the hardships that you have gone through. Joseph found this to be true and as a result God elevated him to a very high position and he became a blessing in that nation, and I can picture the same thing happening in each of your ministries.

The Same God Is With You!

Several of you will be working in and through your churches, and others of you (the trainers) will go on to start new schools of missionary training to multiply workers for the harvest. It is true that it has been a long time of study and, for many of you, it has also been a ‘stressful’ time but it is all behind you now. As you launch into new ministries may I assure you that the same God who called you, will always be with you. He loves you and you are very precious to Him. He is reminding you that He is faithful and will never forsake you.

You will be missed by all of us, but rest assured our prayers are with you all. God bless you all, and ‘PRESS ON’ And please do keep in touch with us!

Please click here to read the article in Printer-Friendly version.