A New Year's Resolution

We were walking to the school one morning when Daniel commented, “The fact that you came all the way from America to reach Ghanaians for Christ should really spur those of us who are Ghanaian Christians to evangelize to our countrymen. You came so far, and we are already here.”

I couldn't help but think of these comments – which could have been made about ANY American*** who had come in the Name of Christ; there is nothing special about me =) – when my Christian brother “Vincent,” a Ghanaian college student, sent me a message this past January. Here it is in its entirety:

“I can't forget you. All the time when I look back and remember the manifold blessings you have been to me, it always leaves me with the challenge that I need to do more of what God has called me to do. It is always my prayer that God gives me strength in the inner man to meet all my targets for Him this year. May be you want to know. My aim is to win 40 muslims to Christ and not even counting other unbelievers. So pray with me. God bless us!”

Wow – what a New Year's Resolution! How many of us have prayed for a specific number of people to lead to the Lord in a given year? While I was excited to hear of Vincent's goals, I wondered whether he'd set his bar a little too high. He sent me reports within the next couple of months of sporadic witnessing that he'd done, without fruit, and I thought several times of telling him not to be discouraged if “his number” wasn't reached.

Guess I should know by now not to limit the Lord....

*** Yes, God could use YOU in Northern Ghana! It's hard to grasp how much our very presence encourages our brothers and sisters abroad.