meet Bob

Meet Bob. He's all of the 1 centimeter diameter of a festering-bloody-sore-blistery-mess that is on my lower lip. It feels like Jello, and it's dulled my nerves to the point where when I touch it with my index finger I can barely feel anything at all. Bob is the incarnation of every pain and every sin within me. A bloody mess covered with a layer of pearly white.

I need purpose and vision in my life. As much as that sounds like the theme of some inspirational speech delivered courtesy of Mr. Jonathan Sprinkles, it is true. No inspiration ever lasts as long as an eternal one.

Growing up surrounded by international missionaries, I always had to wonder - what are they doing in South Korea teaching over-pampered children who go to an "international" school that has a homogenous Korean-American population? It means a lot more, even looking back on today's sermon and remembering that I need to be faithful with church, relationships, vocation, etc... Everything I do needs to be an offering of praise.

I always think about this whole predestination/free will issue, and how it affects how I should live my life. If I don't do anything, will God bring people to know Him? Sure. If I do something, will God bring people to know Him? Sure. (I mean, technically, that's a maybe either way, but He CAN, right?)

But something hits me:

"Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory."
- 2 Timothy 2:10

From God's point of view, there might be the "elect," but from our point of view, all people are people - and we definitely don't know who the "elect" are. That being said, we do evangelism for the sake of praising God by wanting to offer up our lives and help lead these "elect" to Him. No doubt God can bring them there a different way.. but isn't it such a privilege to know that God's willing to use me?