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Tuesday, Jan 17
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DEVOTIONAL: “GOSPEL GROWTH IN IOWA"
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My friend, John Fuller, pastor of Prairie Lakes Church, is somewhat famous for saying, “I want to make it as difficult as possible to go to hell from Iowa.”
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If that’s the first time you’ve heard that statement, it might sound a bit weird, and even a bit bold. But for most Americans, Iowa is just a flyover state. But for us, it’s home. So if anyone is going to help people find life in Christ, it’s left to us.
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But this is not an insurmountable task. And today’s Scripture reading helps us see that.
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Psalm 24 informs us that everything and everyone belongs to God. John 3:16 reminds us that, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
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This is why Jesus tells all of His disciples to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
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Do you see God’s heart for His creation? He loves you and the people around you. In fact, His love for the people of Iowa is far greater than yours or mine ever could be.
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We’ve been praying about reaching our “Jerusalem” (our immediate area) by multiplying ourselves (Day 15). Tomorrow we will pray for our “Samaria,” (those further away and unlike us). Then Thursday and Friday, we will pray for our missionaries who are helping us reach “the ends of the earth.”
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But, today let’s pray for God to use us to reach our “Judea,” the region around us where people are similar to us. And for us, that is Iowa.
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God, many people complain about the cold, the uninteresting landscape, the lack of a metropolis, and the dearth of professional sports or major attractions in Iowa. Yet, I know you deeply love each and every person in this state.
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And so because you have chosen to put me in this state at this time, I ask that you will use me and all of Riverwood to invite the spiritually disconnected of Iowa to find and follow you. May we love them like You do. And give us wisdom as to whom we should partner with in this task because it is too big for us. Thankfully, it is not too big for You.
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Feel free to open your Notes app to write down a thought or two from today's reading or write out your own prayer.
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Read Romans 9, asking God to give you the same heart for Iowa that Paul had for his fellow Jews.
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