To a Servant of the Lord - by M. Robbins

With our souls filled with love
unto our God above,
we pledge our hearts to you;
we promise to be true,
dear servant of the Lord,
our glory and our joy.

With faith in Christ our Lord
in whom our hearts adore,
we pledge our souls to pray;
may Jesus be your stay,
dear servant of the Lord,
our glory and our joy.

With total trust in Him
whose guidance never dims,
we pledge our hands to give              
our funds to help you live,
dear servant of the Lord,
our glory and our joy.

Chorus
With glory and with joy
we pledge our hearts to you;
with glory and with joy,
dear servant of the Lord,
we pledge our love to you -
our glory and our joy.

a prose writing

Paul was a man sent by God to preach where the Gospel
had not been preached and by the Holy Spirit to write many
of the New Testament books.   Wouldn’t it have been wonderful
to have lived in those times and had been able to send Paul a
monthly financial gift?

Now, let us use our imagination for just a few seconds. 

Let’s imagine that next Sunday a missionary will make an
entrance to your church and will present an appeal for help in
going to the field.  Of course you know that he is no Paul, but
he is going to a country you have been interested in for months
and he is going to be involved in an area of ministry you also
have been drawn to.  What will you do?  What are your options?

You can and should make a needful commitment to pray for
him and his family.

And you can also make a commitment to give a monthly
financial gift.

But before you make a financial commitment, let me warn you....
you are facing a commitment which should never be taken lightly....
you are taking on a responsibility which may very well continue
until the missionary and his wife dies.   

And through the 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years of your monthly
support you probably will have to deny yourself many things
in order to maintain that pledge.

Tears of frustration also may come when you are forced
to tighten your budget in order to give. 

The re-evaluation of priorities.....the constant determination
of holding onto your commitment of support.....the weariness
of juggling living expenses and the occasional feeling of “I’ve
done enough - time now for an easing of giving” will enter
your very soul. 

Like I said, your missionary will never be a Paul, but he,
as a servant of God, will go through times of hardships and
times of exaltations.  And you, with your prayers and your gifts,
will follow him through all his trials and joys.

The apostle Paul knew very well what he, himself, had gone
through and came to a conclusion which he expressed in
I Thes 2:19-20:  “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown
of rejoicing?  Are not even ye in the presence of our
Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?  For ye are our glory
and joy.”

Of course this was written to people who had been saved
under Paul’s ministry. 

But you will find out that when you consistently pray and give
to a missionary, somehow that missionary will be more than
just a person. 

You will have found that he has truly become your glory and
your joy!     
     
                                                                                           written by M. Robbins