George Liele is the first of many African American missionaries who will go to a nation not their own to those who know nothing of the Son of God. They will go because, like George, they too “hold to live nigh the scriptures as much as (they) can.”

Truly, the life of George Liele embodies that of a pioneer. He paved a path for others to follow behind him and, like most pioneers, faced the challenges of going first. He was born around 1750 into slavery…

Jealousy stalls out our destiny because it causes us to despise what we have been graciously given by the Lord in light of what someone else has been given. When jealousy is operating in our lives, we don’t steward and express the unique gifts God has given us to serve the Body of Christ; instead, we compare and compete to be better than one another.

God intentionally promotes others around us in different seasons to train us to honor and celebrate others. When we see favor rest on others, it tests our hearts for jealousy, and when we respond with celebration, we are set free.

Is the Great Commission in the front of your mind when you think about your “calling” and your life vision?

Though all have various gifts, assignments, and desires that God has given, we are bound together in a common cause: to make the name of Jesus known and the gospel proclaimed in every nation of the earth.

I am afraid that we have become so enthralled with our individual "callings" that we've lost sight of the church’s preeminent mission. American individualism and a celebrity-driven culture have given rise to this relentless pursuit of one’s personal calling to the point that we have lost sense of God’s grand plan to give His Son the worship of all nations.

The issue is not necessarily the means of worship but the heart of worship. During quarantine, this was exposed, and people had to wrestle with the way things are. Some left their churches because their role of worship leader got removed or redefined. Some stayed and either created a presence centered culture or a production centered culture.

Without a doubt, this impact left its mark on hungry worship leaders. The result God is after is for Him to be at the center. Thus, dissatisfied worship leaders are returning again to the true heart of worship.

The black community is in mourning and the only answer that can be given right now is the comfort that comes from the God who sees and hears, who became the sin of both victims and the victimizers of injustice on the cross so that through Jesus Christ all men can be reconciled to God and to each other.

Are you watering the seeds of offense in your own heart by only watching, listening, and reading people who have the same worldview and experiences as you and do not have a heavenly perspective?