God is Not Bound

Humility n. a modest or low view of one's own importance

It's been over a year now since I left Papua New Guinea in June of last year.  Wow.  In many ways it feels like a lifetime.  When I left it was uncertain what the future of Interface would be.  We were so invested in what we'd been doing (invested in the program, the property and the community) that it was hard to imagine it running smoothly or effectively anywhere else.  And truthfully, I didn't want it to succeed anywhere else.  I wanted to believe that the Interface team at the time was such an important part of the picture that the program couldn't survive without us.  But as I slowly cut my ties from the place that was home and the people that I loved I began to also let go of the ownership I felt over what had gone on there.  Was our program effective because of our great facilities?  Or because of our ties to the community?  Or because we had such a great team?  It was easy to think that way.  But I began to realize that God didn't need buildings or even a good curriculum to impact lives.  The Interface program was effective because God was choosing to make it so, and He was allowing us the privilege of being a part of that.  

It was humbling to realize that God didn't need me, but that He wanted to use me.  And only then could I entrust Him with the future of that which meant so much to me.    

The Interface program has now moved to the New Tribes Mission Missionary Orientation Center outside the coastal town of Madang, where 25 students are currently being challenged to see the big picture of what God is doing around the world and how He wants to use them to reach the unreached.  

I was challenged this morning by reading the following update from a student going through the Interface program right now. God is still at work...without me and without our beautiful Highlands campus.  And that's exciting.  God is not bound.

"I just want to share a bit of what God has challenged me with this past week. Psalm 119:162 says, “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.” The psalmist knows the value of God’s word because it is what sustains him, transforms him, and instructs him. He valued it as a man values silver and gold. Do we know the value of His word? Out of the 4,485 language groups in the world, however, nearly two-thirds still don’t have the Bible in their language. That’s a lot of people dying without Jesus! God has tested my heart as to whether or not I really believe that the scriptures are more precious than diamonds. And if I do believe it, do I believe that other people deserve to have the Bible as well?"