Friday, June 1, 2007 at 12:12am
My vision statement
Column: For His Glory
God wants to grow my relationship with Him deeper every day. God wants a relationship with me that will bring me to a point, like Moses, where we can talk face to face. God wants an intimacy with me like He had with the prophets of old. God wants me to live like they lived, with all their hopes and dreams and their accomplishments. God does not just want to share with me about what He has done in the past or what He will do in the future, but God would rather share with me what He can do through me.
God has given me a burden to reach the highly educated and affluent members of my society, because I know that behind the veil of economic security is a person who needs a relationship with God and has been neglected too long by Christians. CEOs, government officials, brilliant men, scientists, professional athletes and ministers of other denominations need to hear the special truths the Adventist church has to offer.
With that in mind, God wants me to develop my character to its most intimate potential. To live a life in which God is above all else. In which the spirituality of my wife and family is my No. 1 relational priority. My life will be driven by the understanding that God loves me no matter what happens, no matter how gloomy life becomes. By the grace of God, I must embody the belief that no person, no group is happy without hearing about the love of Christ. No circumstances will shape who I am, because God will give me the contentment to face my situation. With this in mind, I will speak boldly about the gospel regardless of the consequence, always being willing to stand up for what I believe in. Yet I must never be satisfied with the status quo; therefore the Spirit in me must strive to always keep learning about God, my strengths, weaknesses, the needs of those most near me and the culture around me. I will keep my mind, body and spirit equally in shape for the glory of God, recognizing that I must take time to listen to His voice and wait for His leading.
I expect to prepare myself to face every intellectual attack on the word of God. With every degree earned and every preparation made, with God's help I can face the challenges ahead. With a Ph.D. earned, it will add another Adventist into the ranks of society which seldom hear the truth of the gospel.
Along the path to my Ph.D., I vow to listen and proclaim God's word at every level of education at which I find myself. Every student I meet is in essence an outlet to other individuals who might not have heard about the love of Christ. God has given me the ability to be friendly and easy to get along with, and by putting God above all else, I have nothing to fear. Throughout the journey I understand there has to be a balance, one in which I do not forget my personal devotions and the spiritual nurture of my wife and friends. Remembering always that it can be lonely at the top levels of education, I will cling close to the promise of Romans 8:38, 39 in my mind always:
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Knowing I can find courage in Christ, I will proclaim the gospel boldly till I am called to rest.
What is your vision for life? Is it centered on serving a higher cause? Remember, vision is key, no matter what you do. Hence, "where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18).
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Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Gio Marin
God has given me a burden to reach the highly educated and affluent members of my society, because I know that behind the veil of economic security is a person who needs a relationship with God and has been neglected too long by Christians. CEOs, government officials, brilliant men, scientists, professional athletes and ministers of other denominations need to hear the special truths the Adventist church has to offer.
With that in mind, God wants me to develop my character to its most intimate potential. To live a life in which God is above all else. In which the spirituality of my wife and family is my No. 1 relational priority. My life will be driven by the understanding that God loves me no matter what happens, no matter how gloomy life becomes. By the grace of God, I must embody the belief that no person, no group is happy without hearing about the love of Christ. No circumstances will shape who I am, because God will give me the contentment to face my situation. With this in mind, I will speak boldly about the gospel regardless of the consequence, always being willing to stand up for what I believe in. Yet I must never be satisfied with the status quo; therefore the Spirit in me must strive to always keep learning about God, my strengths, weaknesses, the needs of those most near me and the culture around me. I will keep my mind, body and spirit equally in shape for the glory of God, recognizing that I must take time to listen to His voice and wait for His leading.
I expect to prepare myself to face every intellectual attack on the word of God. With every degree earned and every preparation made, with God's help I can face the challenges ahead. With a Ph.D. earned, it will add another Adventist into the ranks of society which seldom hear the truth of the gospel.
Along the path to my Ph.D., I vow to listen and proclaim God's word at every level of education at which I find myself. Every student I meet is in essence an outlet to other individuals who might not have heard about the love of Christ. God has given me the ability to be friendly and easy to get along with, and by putting God above all else, I have nothing to fear. Throughout the journey I understand there has to be a balance, one in which I do not forget my personal devotions and the spiritual nurture of my wife and friends. Remembering always that it can be lonely at the top levels of education, I will cling close to the promise of Romans 8:38, 39 in my mind always:
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Knowing I can find courage in Christ, I will proclaim the gospel boldly till I am called to rest.
What is your vision for life? Is it centered on serving a higher cause? Remember, vision is key, no matter what you do. Hence, "where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18).
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Gio Marin