Great Commitment and the Great Commission (from Pastor Tim)

As I've been challenging the church family to live out our mission this month - the passionate pursuit of a vibrant relationship with God... - its been encouraging to hear stories of how God has kept His promise to draw near to us when we draw near to Him. I've been so proud of our church staff and their kindred spirit in stepping up our habits and intentional pursuit of a deeper walk with Christ. One thing I'm learning is that I find that the closer I am to the Lord, the more passionate I am about the Great Commission. The better my devotional times are and the more time I have to reflect on what's really important in life, the more I wind up at being a part of God's solution to what's wrong with the world, aka, the Great Commission (where Jesus said "go into all the world and make disciples"). And vice versa, I find that the more I immerse myself in Great Commission related work (promoting the Great Commission Fund for CMA missions, planning local outreach, preparing for a missions trip, etc.) the more vibrant my relationship with God seems to be. This week Pastor Kyle ordered the plane tickets that Karen and I need for our ministry trip to Senegal in March, and I've been reading a book about the beliefs and values of people in that part of Africa. Even in these things, there's the sense of being closer to the nerve center of what God is passionate about. And you've got to love a God who, when you draw closer to living life obediently and sacrificially, gives you a greater sense of significance and satisfaction than any purchase or vacation can match.