What Will Last
A Note from Tracy Hipps
What will last is our purpose and calling here to invest in the underserved. We have served thousands of people this last year and it has been an honor to serve for the Lord. In the last month, I have watched two very special people go home to the Lord: Ms. Sturdivant and Ms. Arrington. The Lord allowed CSM to serve them over the last 4 years with our hands and our hearts. It was a privilege to see them blessed by the Lord for their years of being a light in this world and they were a blessing to us through their steadfast prayers. Attending both funerals was a moving experience because the Lord has used both of these people to shape our purpose here: to serve the least of these.
What will last is the security we have in our Lord and Savior. The work we do is to increase the capacity to see lives changed for the gospel. The gospel message is the gas that powers the car or the wind that gives the sail the ability to move. The gospel is what inspires us to continue on each day "connecting resources with needs" because we know the true need is to know Him and then to make him known. The lives we have had the privilege to serve and the impact He has had is for eternity.
What will last is not the homes we have built or the gardens we have grown or the churches we serve or the people we have mobilized. What will last are the lives that have been changed and transformed through these relationships. The staff and volunteers at CSM are to make Him known. The Lord has produced this fruit The Lord has provided these opportunities to see lives changed.
What will last is not the connection to thousands of families or hundreds of partnerships but the one true connections we have in Christ. We are servants of the most High God and willing vessels to be used in whatever way He needs for us to be. What will last is Christ invading our lives so He can serve with our hands, walk with our feet, speak with our lips, see with our eyes, hear with our ears, think with our minds, and love with our hearts. To me, that is what it means to live as Christ. That is what will last.
What will last is for us to be last and for Him to be first. I am in awe daily here at CSM to serve the Lord and make Him known. Your investment is for the future that will last for eternity with Him. Thank you for another year of serving the Lord to the "least of these."
