Echoes From the Campfire

[Don Adkisson]

     “Honor should mean more. Sometimes I think people have gone crazy.”
               --Louis L'Amour (Utah Blaine)

     "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake."
               --1 Thessalonians 1:5 (NASB)
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     When I was in the Air Force, I served under the Air Defense Command, Air Training Command, and Strategic Air Command. Each of these has a specific mission that fits in the overall mission of the Air Force. As a teacher and administrator I was often involved in developing a mission statement for the school. I never really thought about a personal missions statement. When I think of it now, it is a good idea.
     While I did not have a "statement" I really did practice one. I based all my teaching, all my work, all my coaching on two Scriptures found in Colossians. This, I would consider, to be my "missions statement," however, it is more than that. In my studies, I found that these two verses really define "worshiping in truth." A missions statement is a lifestyle; worship should be a lifestyle.

          "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father... Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men."
--Colossians 3:17,23 (NASB)

A missions statement tells the purpose of your being. Why are you here, what is the reason for your existence, what do you hope to accomplish. The mission statement defines and directs its purpose; its reason for being in the world.
     Scott Stoner says this in regard to a personal missions statement. "Different times and stages of your life will require new ways of doing things, but your life mission may not." He states, "Vocation is not merely something we do in our work or public life. It is integrated into all aspects of life." Look again at the verses above. Do you actually do all in the name of the Lord Jesus?
     Stoner gives three guidelines in the development of a personal missions statement:
          1) How do you intend to live your deepest beliefs in the world.
          2) It should speak to the intersection of your unique gifts and the needs of the world in which you live.
          3) It should be broad enough to endure over time.
In my classroom, I didn't write a missions statement, yet one was practiced continually. Along with my view of life--Colossians 3:17,23--I would put three words on the board that I felt was needed for a particular year. It might be: DETERMINATION--HONOR--PATIENCE, or FAITHFULNESS--HONOR--STEADFASTNESS. Those attributes or characteristics would be emphasized throughout the year. Notice that every year HONOR was in the middle. We cannot do anything for the Lord without being an honorable person. Honor is a foundation of integrity; it is the sounding board of Colossians 3:23.
     How would you describe your missions statement? Do all parts of your life fit within it? If not, something needs to be adjusted. Are you exemplifying HONOR in all you do? Is the Lord being glorified? Then something needs to be adjusted. Ponder the following by former star pitcher Orel Hershiser.

          “To call myself a Christian and then not strive to be the best I can be and do the most I can with what has been given me would be the height of hypocrisy. Being a Christian is no excuse for mediocrity or passive acceptance of defeat. If anything, Christianity demands a higher standard, even more devotion to the task.”

D. C. Adkisson