Why are we also in danger every hour? I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that I die daily. 1 Corinthians 15:30-31
“When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages.” To that, Calvert replied, “We died before we came here.”
James Calvert (1813-1892) as recounted in Fundamentals of Evangelism by Dag Heward-Mills (Parchment House, 2016) 120.
The new header photo shows I have arrived in Panama. I snapped it from my hotel room downtown.
The GTP Latin America regional event has begun. We have welcomed 37 people from 14 countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, and USA.
I’ll share more about the gathering in the coming days. But in short, we came together to die.
Before you think I am saying something morbid, hear me say that we have come together to die to self. To ask God how we must decrease so that His life and love may generously be made known in and through us. The first part of the week is about becoming faithful and generous stewards.
When I think about Calvert, risking everything, my mind wonders how he died.
The answer…he lived to 80 and died in England. Why share that? Fear often hinders our generosity. What if this happens? Or that? So fear stops us from serving God as He desires. Pray with me for faith to overcome fear and to God to work among these influencers.
And I pray He works in you. I pray you die daily like Paul so you can live generously!