Jesus taking us into Iowa

Iowa.  We are in Iowa.  So far, we have seen the corn and soy beans.  We have driven through the plains and into the Red River Valley.  10 children and adults are adventuring into the unknown.

We don’t know what we will see in the next few days, nor the work we will be trying to accomplish.  We don’t know what God will show us, nor how He will move and act in our lives and the lives of people we meet.  What we do know is that we are willing to follow Him.

Mark 1:16: As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus called the disciples individually; He spoke to them as He met them and challenged them to follow Him.  Often times we think of this calling as being a miraculous event, which it was, but Jesus more than likely knew His disciples already.  He would have done business with them, building boat parts or buying fish for dinner.

Jesus called the disciples to something greater in life than what they had known.  The disciples thought they would be taught for a few years and then become teachers themselves, that was how it was supposed to work.  Jesus, instead, transformed the way they thought about their lives and goals.  He called them to follow, and act in His name.

In our call to follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior we sometimes forget that we are called as well.  We are called to something greater than what we expect.  Every encounter we have in this life is a chance for God to move.  For Him to move in our lives or the lives of people we meet.  We need to think differently about our interactions with others, we need to act in a much more missional way in everyday life.

God is at work, we get to follow Him, and He is leading us places to do things for His glory.  I did not expect to be here, but here I am in Iowa.  The kids and adults that are here have no clue about what God is going to do, but we get to join in.  We get to follow where Jesus will lead and do what He has planned.

We are praying that you will join in this great mission that we have to follow Jesus.  Sometimes it leads you to Iowa, but no matter where you go or what you do, do it all for the glory of God.