ISI Volunteers minister to entire family after acting on a little 'nudge' from God.
"Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him," –Deuteronomy 13:4 (NLT).
"If you listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, the Lord your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors,"
–Deuteronomy 7:12 (NLT).
"You have declared today that the Lord is your God. And you have promised to walk in his ways, and to obey his decrees, commands, and regulations, and to do everything he tells you. The Lord has declared that you are his people, his own special treasure, just as he promised, and that you must obey all his commands," –Deuteronomy 26:17-18 (NLT).
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It's amazing—the ways in which we are able to bless others when we follow, trust, and obey Jesus. We don't always understand or see what He is doing, but what a true blessing it is when we listen to that “still, small voice” leading us to serve others.
In this story, a husband-and-wife team demonstrate the power of listening to "God's nudge." They joined ISI after serving with another ministry in China and Hong Kong for a number of years. Because of their experience, they have a special place in their hearts for Chinese students. Our volunteers were gracious enough to share the following testimony with us. They write:
"During one of our first fall semesters of ministry with ISI, we learned of two young Chinese men. These young men were living in a graduate student apartment with nothing but bare walls. Feeling God's nudge, we gathered up a lamp, card table, two folding chairs, spare dishes, silverware, pots and pans, towels and some bedding and marched over to their apartment. I will never forget how their faces lit up with surprise and gratitude when they opened the door and saw the things we had brought for them. After we exchanged names, one of them took me aside and told me, 'I have come to your country to learn the name of God. In my country, we cannot learn His name. But, I think He is the God of the Bible.'"
As profound as that moment was, the story doesn't end here! A few weeks later, the couple introduced this student to the Bible and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him. The student ended up giving his heart to Jesus! He then told our ISI volunteers: "My wife comes this Christmas. She will become Christian, too."
Not only did the student's wife become a Christian, but their five-year-old daughter became one as well! I love how this story highlights the way in which our obedience to the Lord can result in the literal changing of hearts and minds! While reflecting on the testimony above, I am reminded of a passage in Deuteronomy that says to, "Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him," (Deuteronomy 13:4, NLT).
I pray that in this coming week your mind and heart are open to Jesus' voice—that you hear and respond to each whisper, idea, or nudge even when it might not make sense at the time. It's likely that the still, small voice will end up blessing you and others in ways you could have never imagined!
For More Information:
Learn more about becoming an ISI Friendship Partner. In this role, you get to volunteer directly with an international student. It will be a huge blessing for the student and for you!
Learn more about becoming a Ministry Partner with ISI. Ministry Partners are churches or individuals who are either beginning international student ministry or want to be a part of a team of people who labor together to reach international students for Christ.
"Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him," –Deuteronomy 13:4 (NLT).
"If you listen to these regulations and faithfully obey them, the Lord your God will keep his covenant of unfailing love with you, as he promised with an oath to your ancestors,"
–Deuteronomy 7:12 (NLT).
"You have declared today that the Lord is your God. And you have promised to walk in his ways, and to obey his decrees, commands, and regulations, and to do everything he tells you. The Lord has declared that you are his people, his own special treasure, just as he promised, and that you must obey all his commands," –Deuteronomy 26:17-18 (NLT).
___________________________________________________________________
It's amazing—the ways in which we are able to bless others when we follow, trust, and obey Jesus. We don't always understand or see what He is doing, but what a true blessing it is when we listen to that “still, small voice” leading us to serve others.
In this story, a husband-and-wife team demonstrate the power of listening to "God's nudge." They joined ISI after serving with another ministry in China and Hong Kong for a number of years. Because of their experience, they have a special place in their hearts for Chinese students. Our volunteers were gracious enough to share the following testimony with us. They write:
"During one of our first fall semesters of ministry with ISI, we learned of two young Chinese men. These young men were living in a graduate student apartment with nothing but bare walls. Feeling God's nudge, we gathered up a lamp, card table, two folding chairs, spare dishes, silverware, pots and pans, towels and some bedding and marched over to their apartment. I will never forget how their faces lit up with surprise and gratitude when they opened the door and saw the things we had brought for them. After we exchanged names, one of them took me aside and told me, 'I have come to your country to learn the name of God. In my country, we cannot learn His name. But, I think He is the God of the Bible.'"
As profound as that moment was, the story doesn't end here! A few weeks later, the couple introduced this student to the Bible and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with him. The student ended up giving his heart to Jesus! He then told our ISI volunteers: "My wife comes this Christmas. She will become Christian, too."
Not only did the student's wife become a Christian, but their five-year-old daughter became one as well! I love how this story highlights the way in which our obedience to the Lord can result in the literal changing of hearts and minds! While reflecting on the testimony above, I am reminded of a passage in Deuteronomy that says to, "Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him," (Deuteronomy 13:4, NLT).
I pray that in this coming week your mind and heart are open to Jesus' voice—that you hear and respond to each whisper, idea, or nudge even when it might not make sense at the time. It's likely that the still, small voice will end up blessing you and others in ways you could have never imagined!
For More Information:
Learn more about becoming an ISI Friendship Partner. In this role, you get to volunteer directly with an international student. It will be a huge blessing for the student and for you!
Learn more about becoming a Ministry Partner with ISI. Ministry Partners are churches or individuals who are either beginning international student ministry or want to be a part of a team of people who labor together to reach international students for Christ.
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