Mission: Philippines 2025

Thoughts...

In recent sermons we have been challenged to consider the things we tend to put ahead of God’s will, the things that, if we’re being honest, matter most to us. For me, most often, that is comfort and ease. So many months ago, when encouraged to pray about going on a mission trip to the Philippines, my prayer was something like, “God, I really don’t want to go. But I will if you want me to (and you make it clear).” Well, He made it clear through my family, and so I went. And, of course, I’m so glad that I did.

To be fair, this trip was not a difficult one. We went to a place that many in our group had been before to work with people who exemplify Christian love and hospitality. One of my biggest takeaways from this trip is God’s reminder that He is at work all over the world, and those He has called and redeemed are united in a way that goes beyond distance and cultural differences. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, ministering to the people around them in His name for His glory.

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder why was I reluctant to go. I will never know the rest and peace I crave by sitting home and doing nothing. That’s just being lazy, and it does not yield anything of value. But while God may call us to far away places or, perhaps, difficult circumstances, He also promises that in Christ we will find rest for our souls, and that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). That’s because when we are in His will, doing the work that He has called us to, then we are enabled by His unlimited power and strength, rather than our own. Paul reminds us of this when he told the Colossians, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Col. 1:28-29)

So I encourage you all to follow Christ wherever He leads, abandoning the artificial comfort we have become accustomed to, and resting in Him as He powerfully works within us for His will and His glory.

By Steven Hearndon