This month’s encouragement to the Women of YFC comes from Ruth Berger. Ruth has served more than 40 years with YFC alongside her husband Ron, in such diverse places as Alaska USA, Germany, UK, Estonia, and France. They currently serve on the YFCI Global Engagement Care Team, live in North Idaho, and open their home to provide a quiet place for YFCI workers seeking a time of rest and renewal in the Lord.

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Come to me,  all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  (~Matthew 11:28 NIV)

These words of invitation spoken by Jesus so long ago are as precious to me now as they were when I first heard them as a child. “Come to me….”   with all my stuff, and find rest! What could be more compelling?

As I write, we’re in the midst of breaking up the nest for another move.  God has called us around the world and back, and though we’ve set up housekeeping in more than two dozen other locations, I’ve been finding this move the most daunting. Perhaps it’s because this home was the fulfillment of a vision and has been a place of refuge and inspiration not only for us but for MANY weary brothers and sisters who have come here for a time of peace, rest and renewal. Even though God has clearly called us away from here, my heart has cried out with the Israelites, in Exodus 33:15, “If your Spirit doesn’t go with us, we don’t want to leave this place.” 

Moving is hard work for body and soul!   I confess:  I have been more than a little stressed, even with great effort to follow Paul’s words to the church in Philippi…  “Do not be anxious about anything”….(~Philippians 4:6 NIV)

Our God is good to His promises!   He has graciously replaced my anxiety with confidence in the calming presence of His Spirit.   He has encouraged us through His people speaking words of affirmation and assisting with the physical labor.   Once I cast my heavy burden on Jesus, He took it away and renewed my energy.  The joy of the Lord, even in this transition, has been renewed!  Praise the Lord!

“Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.”  (~1 Peter 5:7)

What burdens are you carrying today?  What is your weary soul longing for right now? Are you casting your cares and anxiety on Him, and praying about everything?  He is the same God who said to His children Israel,  “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you.”  (~Isaiah 41:13 NIV)

JESUS says “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (~Matthew 28:20b NIV)

Ruth Berger
Global Engagement Care Team Member
rutheberger63@gmail.com

 

Our latest encouragement is from Arev Sarukhanyan, the National Director of YFC Armenia. Arev lives in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia with her husband Albert, a pastor and their young son Joseph.

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Our whole life is a course that goes along with our trajectories of tracking.  We dream and plan when we are young, looking at our past memories when we reach the end of life’s boundaries. We are living beings; we have a soul, breath and body. We can be happy to succeed and disappointed with failure. We can worry about our future, meet trials, fight against them, win, celebrate our victory, lose, be discouraged, fall and stand up again. Life is like that.

The people of Israel did not have it easy. During all of their history in the Bible, we see that they are facing trials, discouraged, falling, climbing again. But at the same time we see the presence of God, the fulfillment of His promises in Israel’s life.

Was it not foolish for Israel to think that God, who created the stars by their names, who established the borders of the land, does not possess the situation? No matter how hard it was for Israel to pass on the path of faith, they had to put their hope entirely on God. This is what God wants from His people.

As Christians, we struggle every day against sin and try to keep the foundation of our faith strong. When it comes to every difficult situation, it’s a daily family concern, upbringing of children, an important decision at work, service, personal life, health problems, etc. We should never forget that God is with us, He is aware of the situation. Never, no one has said that a Christian’s life should go smoothly and easily without any problem. However, God gives us hope in the words of Isaiah 40:28-31 “Even youth grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”.

Therefore, let us be renewed with faith and confidence and put our whole hope on God. At that time, we will be able to cope with our problems and solve them. Then we will be strong like eagles, we will gain new strength, we will grow stronger in the path of our life, we will not be tired and we will not be discouraged.

YFC Armenia
National Director, Arev Sarukhanyan
arevsarukhanian@mail.ru

 

This encouragement comes to you from Melissa Verdugo. Melissa is the Operations Director and Training Representative for the YFC Americas Area. She and her husband Brian live in Florida, USA.

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“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me.” Romans 16:1-2

Paul is writing a letter of recommendation for Phoebe. Why does Paul recommend Phoebe?

Most commentators, based on careful studies conclude that Phoebe was the person that Paul chose to deliver the letter to the house churches in Rome. A sort of letter of recommendation for the letter carrier was typical in the first century customs. Letters of recommendations were included for letter carriers in the first century because the letter carrier was expected to explain the content of the letter to those they delivered it to.

Colossians 4:7-9. “Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work. I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.” We see a similar letter of recommendation for Tychicus at the close of Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae. Tychicus was the letter carrier of Colossians to the church in Colossae.

Paul trusted all of his letter carriers’ ability to explain the letters he sent. He considered all of them co-workers in the Lord’s work. Paul had never been to Rome and he had never been to Colossae.  Paul probably needed extra trust in Tychicus’ ability to explain Colossians and Phoebe’s to explain Romans.

“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea.”  The word translated here deacon is the Greek word diakonos. This word in the New Testament indicates service, ministry, or being a servant of God. Phoebe is the first named Christian Deacon in the Bible. Paul refers to his own ministry four times in 2 Corinthians as diakonos.

“We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers (diakonos) of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.” 2 Corinthians 6:3-4

In Romans 16: 2 Paul continues on, “Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful (prostatis) to many, and especially to me. “

The word translated helpful is the Greek word prostatis. Prostatis means more than helpful. In the Greek translation the of 1 Chronicles 29:6 prostatai (plural of prostates) were “the officials in charge of the king’s work”. As leaders in ministry, we are in charge of the KING’s work. It is important that we continually examine ourselves to see how well we are doing with this great work, to continue to grow.

As leaders in YFC, we need to be prepared “if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it” (1 Peter 3:15b) just as Phoebe did.

No matter whether we are male or female, each of us who has accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior has spiritual gifts that the Lord expects us to use to further His Kingdom. Are you using your gifts to the fullest to further the Lord’s Kingdom?  Would Paul have recommended you as a Christian leader?

Blessings for your service in the Kingdom,

Melissa Verdugo
melissa.verdugo@yfci.org