As a church, we support many missionaries around the world. And as a general rule, because we send them monthly support, these missionaries will send us an update on their ministries.
Some send a letter every quarter. Some every other month. Most send a letter every month.
What if we were required, as stewards of all God has charged to our keeping, to send a monthly "update" to the Lord God Almighty? Could we send a letter filled with how we have seen Him at work in our lives? Or how we have faithfully served Him this month? What about our rejoicing over answered prayer?
Or what if, as a requirement to be part of a Sunday School class, we were required to send an update to our Pastor? Would we be able - as a class - to share how God has used us? How, as a class, we came together to support some ministry of the church? Surrounded a struggling classmate with love and encouragement? Raised funds as a class project to meet the need of a missionary on a foreign field?
Or what if, as a requirement to be a member of our local church, we were required to send an "update" to the congregation as a whole? Would we be able to share how God has used His Word to challenge our daily walk? Would we be able to give encouragement to those around us as God has shown us how to apply his Word in our daily lives? Would we be able to tell of the people we talked with, or witnessed to on visitation? Could we give testimony of those we've invited to church or shared the gospel with while out soul-winning?
Our missionaries are required to "report" back to their supporting churches - to testify that they are still, indeed, doing the work of the Lord that we've sent them to do. Yet, we are ALL missionaries; we are ALL commissioned to give the gospel; to exhort, rebuke, edify. Yet most of us never have to give an account. Ever. Much less on a regular basis.
But what if we did have to give an account. Monthly. Could we do it? Would there BE anything to write about?
We may never have to report to our local church. Or our pastor. But we WILL, eventually, have to report to our Lord and Savior. And, academically of course, we know this - that we'll give an account to the Lord one day. "One day" - somewhere far, far away in the future. But not today. Not tomorrow. Not any time soon.
Or is it?
