From the CEO
06⎪SEPTEMBER 2020⎪shop.cmausa.org
By JOHN Ogden Sr
“But
what things were gain
to me, these I have
counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I
also count all things loss for the
excellence of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered
the loss of all things, and count
them as rubbish, that I may gain
Christ and be found in Him, not having
my own righteousness, which is
from the law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness
which is from God by faith;
that I may know Him and the power
of His resurrection, and the fellowship
of His sufferings, being conformed
to His death, if, by any
means, I may attain to the resurrection
from the dead. Not that I have
already attained, or am already perfected;
but I press on, that I may lay
hold of that for which Christ Jesus
has also laid hold of me” (Philippians
3:7-12, NKJV).
Paul was in a desperate place
when he wrote this letter to his fellow
believers. He was in less than
ideal conditions with a political
storm around him. He faced persecution
and a collective plan to silence
the testimony of the believers. His
rights were stripped from him and
he lost his freedom to move about
sharing the Gospel. He was in prison.
But, his circumstances were not
what defined him. Paul’s focus was
on God and encouraging the church
to stay focused on God’s purpose
and calling in their lives.
This is very relevant for us today.
The things the world counts as
important are nothing compared to
life with Christ. Our will and our way,
our comfort and our plans, they all
fall under the headship of Christ. We
are called to be believers first, trusting
in the leading of the Holy Spirit,
living as citizens of Heaven first,
keeping our gaze focused not on the
method that we are to accomplish
God’s purpose, but on following each
step of His leading. Though chaos
and calamity may surround us, God
is still our source of peace. He is still
our Master and Commander. He is
the One who knows the path forward,
and He is calling us to let go of
our way of doing things and trust
Him.
We are children of the Most High
God. We will not give up or give in.
We will not be lulled into inactivity or
give in to sudden fear. Our focus is
on Him and will remain on Him. God
is in control. As we walk forward into
this new territory, following His
voice, we will find ourselves in the
center of this verse: “So take a new
grip with your tired hands and
strengthen your weak knees. Mark
out a straight path for your feet so
that those who are weak and lame
will not fall but become strong”
(Hebrews 12:12-13, NLT).
In some ways we have been shut
down and constrained, but our calling
is clear and our path is straight –
Follow Jesus. The harvest field is
ready and God is preparing us for the
future. He is raising up an army that
has the ability to listen to His voice
and respond, no matter the discomfort
around them. Stay focused.
Draw close to Him. Keep pressing in.
I want to encourage you that
Jesus will take care of you. He has
not brought you this far to see you
defeated. No! He is preparing you for
the future. Victory is yours in Christ
Jesus. Jesus is still changing the
world, one heart at a time through
you. Becky and I have been encouraged
by your determination and
faithfulness. We look forward to seeing
you down the road. CMA
John Sr and Becky Ogden,
John is CEO/Chairman of
the Board of Directors.