Far Down The Road

Investment works in cycles and those cycles run a course.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:8-11 ESV

"And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.' " - Matthew 13:57 ESV

Return comes later and from farther away than we think. Many times it is not our family or people close to us that respond... it is people far away. The rain has a cycle and passes over much territory in a seemingly one way investment but it brings forth fruit 'a ways down the path' in time and space.

God's thoughts are not our thoughts. He is very patient and long suffering.

We want results quickly and in close proximity and sometimes despair if we don't get them.

This is one of them beautiful things about missions. We go far away to invest and it is there outside our culture and comfort zone where we see a greater measure of results. Of course we invest the same at home as we would far away and the fruit will come eventually in God's time but there is something special about going. God seems to move in a special way in people's hearts.

We may not pay much mind to the person close by that we are familiar with but are greatly impacted by the person who can from far away to visit us even though the message is essentially the same.

That is why it is good to see people as coming from Heaven... grace people are Heaven sent Ones... We can't be familiar with people from that far away. {smile}

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