10 Jul The Goal is Not Just to Survive the Day, But to Maintain Communion with God

By Phil Waldron, CEO

Recently, during one particularly trying week for me, one of the members of our Board, Dr. Scott Bedichek, was visiting with a brigade group. While at dinner I overheard him say to one of the teenage participants that the goal of life is not just to survive the day but rather to stay in communion with God.

At that particular moment, with things we were facing personally as well as in the ministry, his words resonated with me. Wayne Kellis, our Board Chairman, has often said, God’s goal for us is that we are conformed to the image of His Son. The two statements made by both of these wise men appear to me to be saying almost the same thing. Their statements are like facets of a diamond. They are sayings that should bring us great strength in facing adversity and challenge in life.

The implications of these truths are numerous, and they apply equally to our personal life as well as to our mission. Here at Mission UpReach the stories that we can tell of how God has sustained us these many years are testimony to His faithfulness. Come what may, be it persecutions, financial challenges, death of loved ones, and more all of the challenges and threats that we have faced have only served to highlight that our Father uses these things to deepen our dependence on Him.

I have a new goal for my day now after thinking about Scott and Wayne’s words. My goal is to be able to end the day and say with confidence, today I maintained communion with my heavenly Father, and things are well.

On the level of our work here at Mission UpReach, the good works that God is doing through your prayers and donations are truly making a life transforming difference in 1000’s of lives. There is no question that God’s enemy, the Adversary, along with the forces of darkness will do everything in their power to frustrate and derail what God is doing here. Please join us in the spiritual battle that we are waging against evil, corruption, oppression, poverty and overwhelming lostness that pervades in this region in which we work. We need your prayers. And we need your gracious and generous donations too.

At the end of the day, I hope we can all say what King David wrote in Psalm 3. “Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!”