We've come to declare...

The glory of the Lord.

That is why I am here in Amsterdam - To declare the glory of the Lord. However, I am finding it harder than I expected, both within myself and within the circumstances I find myself in.

Here's an excerpt from my journal last night to help you understand what I mean: "Here in Amsterdam, the lostness is so close, so prevalent, so cloying and so overwhelming that I fear I am mentally and emotionally shutting down. Rather than fully grasping what the lostness of this city means, I am turning my attention too often to petty things – usually issues with people. It allows me to keep trucking without completely shutting down, as I feel like I want to do. So as I was pondering it tonight, I thought to myself, “Why should the lostness of these people bother me?” My answer is twofold: Because God is not being glorified as he ought to be, and because the people don’t know the unsearchable riches of Christ and their lives are not being lived abundantly.

So then, how do I go about fixing my heart? Obviously, only the Lord can fix it, break it, and make it so passionate about him that it motivates me to share with people more than I am doing. In allowing him to do that though, I think I need to think on two things: Who God is – His glory, love, salvation and qualities; and what he has done for me. Out of a heart motivated by love for God, and a mind motivated by the thoughts of what God has done for me can I even begin to address the problems of faith in this culture."

So, that's where I'm at. I want my heart to be broken for these people - to care desperately about their spiritual needs and spiritual welfare. Rather than be scared by the darkness around me, I want to have compassion on the people who walk in darkness and declare the glory of the Lord to them. This afternoon, as I visit a mosque and watch the call to prayer and the ritualistic prayers, it will be MY prayer that we, as believers, will have humble hearts, bold tongues, compassionate natures, and eyes to see God's glory. Please join me in that prayer today.