Operation Christmas Child Short-term Trip - 1

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“Nothing less than Christ will satisfy, and when you find him, nothing more could be desired.” – Stephen Charnock

I have a wonderful opportunity at the first of next month. I am going to Lima, Peru, with Operation Christmas Child to help give shoeboxes to children. Samaritan’s Purse did some relief work here after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake. Getting to go is a real honor.

Part of taking the honor seriously is to do some spiritual soul-searching before I leave. Is there anything in my life I desire more than I do Christ? Am I satisfied that my relationship with God depends on Him or am I striving to earn peace with God on my own?

Am I really growing in my walk with Christ? Am I sinning less, particularly in those areas where I struggle (anger, worry, lust, etc.)? Am I searching for areas of my sin that have escaped my awareness to this point?

What are my motives for this trip? Is it just a vacation in disguise? Am I expecting to “save the world” in my American grandiosity? Will I be motivated to serve others in my group and among those we are ministering to?

This kind of soul-searching can only be done under the reign of grace. I will never be honest with myself if I am truly worried about my performance with respect to God’s law. If my own works are the basis for my standing before God, I will inevitably try to cover up my sins, make the requirements less, or ignore the hard questions.

I must have a renewed perspective on what God has done for me in Christ. I have to meditate on grace, or, as the acrostic says, “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.” This perspective is the only one that will let me find the truth and act on it.

Please take the time to pray that God would show me my sin and the path to improve.

I’ll post some more about the trip.

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