As I was reading this morning God really struck me at the core. David couldn’t accept Saul’s armor “because he had not tested them” (1 Samuel 17:39). Moses didn’t begin to lead Israel until he spent 20 years in Pharaoh’s house and another 20 in Midian. And Paul spent many years in Arabia before he became the super church planter dude who wrote worked as “a wise master-builder.”
So, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Why do so many of us who get excited about missions immediately jump on a plane with little to no training? I applaud the obedience and the sense of urgency, but I am so thankful for the wise counsel Jill and I received 5 years ago–“I don’t care who (what mission agency) you go with, just get solid training before you go!” I really believe God values initial preparation for service.
A quote: “It is better to lose time as to work in preparation for service than to lose time in repairing one’s mistakes in undertaking a work for which one is not yet qualified.”