Camp Meeting Devotions - Day Sixteen

 2 Timothy 4:5 (NASB)

⁵  But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

John Weseley knew about enduring hardship and doing the work of an evangelist in the 1700s. He devoted himself to sacrificial service for His Savior. Tireless zeal into his late eighties. He did not use old age, opposition, or closed churches as an excuse not to fulfill his ministry. 

One year alone he walked over 1,000 miles to preach in churches around Oxford. Most of his traveling was by horseback where he mastered the art of reading while riding. He averaged about 13 miles a day. It is estimated that in all he traveled 226,000 miles in his lifetime. No cars. No planes or trains. He did this by walking or riding. He rode in wind, hail, bitter cold, rain, crossing streams and swamps to get to his appointed destination. He refused to be kept from his appointed assignments. 

He experienced persecution.  He had rocks, dung, and eggs thrown at him. At times, the mobs beat him and ripped his clothing. None of these things stopped him from continually telling people about Jesus. He fearlessly shared the love of Christ no matter what price he had to pay. 

Wesely also sacrificed. Instead of profiting from his preaching he gave money away to help impoverished people. In fact, when he died it has been written that all he left behind was a well worn Bible, a few hundred dollars and the Methodist church. 

None of us are John Wesely. We can still be faithful and endure where we are in our ministry to tell others about Jesus. To be indefatigable in our evangelism ministry. To overcome obstacles, charge past challenges, and surge beyond surprising setbacks. We cannot use weather as an excuse. Nor can we use aging bodies as a reason not win to souls to Christ. We certainly cannot use intolerance and opposition in society as reasons for not sharing our message. There are persecuted saints suffering around the world for proclaiming Jesus as the only way to salvation. They endure hardship. Why shouldn't we? 

We must be willing to endure some hardship. To plead for souls, to boldly share truth, to fearlessly talk of the love of Jesus. This is a message worth suffering for and enduring to the end of our lives in communicating. We have more tools at our disposal than Wesely ever did. We have faster transportation, more modern technology, and the ability to communicate with people all over the world. Are we willing to endure? Our excuses hold no water. It is time to choose whether we will squander our days in fruitless living or to live on mission for Jesus. 

• How committed are you to sharing the gospel of Jesus with lost people? When is the last time you verbally witnessed?
• Can you recall any time when you have endured hardship in the work of evangelism?
• List the excuses you have used in the past for not evangelizing. 
• What reasons can you identify for not enduring in the work of Jesus?

Camp Meeting Devotions - Day Fifteen

Hebrews 12:1 (NASB)
¹  Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

God has set a race before each of us. Each race a unique challenge for us to endure. Each race personalized for our calling God assigns. Some races are harder than others. Some last longer. The finish line is the same. To press on until we reach heaven. Others have finished their race. They overcame and made it to their eternal home. 

Along the way there are some things we have to lay aside. There are encumbrances that must be cast off. What are encumbrances? They are weights and burdens. Imagine a person getting in the starting blocks at a track meet. Warmups have been completed.  The starter has called racers into the blocks. You notice something odd about one of the runners. That person is wearing a heavy backpack like one would wear on a camping trip. Sure enough, when the gun sounds to start the race that runner gets out of the blocks last and lumbers down the track laboriously in last place. 

What encumbrances weigh us down? What burdens slow our pace. These things are to be cast aside. [Ps 55:22] and [I Pet 5:7] urge us to do the same. The weight of worries drains the vitality out of us. The daily battle to forge ahead under such an oppressive load takes all the strength one can muster. There is little energy left for things like seeking and serving God. Encumbrances trip us up. We are to throw these things off. 

We are also supposed to lay aside sin. Sin crouches at the door ready to pounce on us. Temptations abound. The enemy constantly tries to ensnare us. To entice us to leave the God we love. To deceive us into defiled behavior. In the race God set before us, sin is like leaving the track to pursue lesser things that will only harm us. To lay aside sin is to put it off and refuse to carry it any longer. The cycle of sin, confession, and returning to the same sin over and over again must be broken. Running the race assigned to us is like running a race with shackles on our ankles. We cannot reach our full spiritual stride. 

We must also run with endurance. This journey to prepare for revival is a marathon and not a sprint. It will take endurance to complete. The work of revival is an exercise in endurance as well. To endure means to run with steadfast constancy. So many start out well in the faith and then lose heart, quit, get distracted or tempted. It is not an easy journey. It is a rewarding journey. We are to set our pace and steadily remain constant daily, through all seasons of life, and stay in the race to the very end. God wants finishers and not just starters. 

• Describe where you are in the race of life. Tired and tuckered out? Just hitting your stride? Running with a steady pace making progress? Not even running at all?
• Make a list of all the encumbrances that are keeping you from running effectively. 
• Name any sins that need to be laid aside? Commit to throwing them off. 
• How is your endurance? Do you have what is needed to finish? If not ask God to strengthen you as you lean on Him to press forward.