To a Servant of the Lord

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.
                           M. Robbins


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.  1 Thes 2:19-20

     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!             
                                                                                                                                              M. Robbins