Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “A life of service”
Our Bible verse for today: “For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you.” John 13:15 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “The key to being used is to be useful.”
I have a friend who is a very wise man (although he would never think of himself in that way). His wisdom is the homespun kind that comes from life experiences and lots of common sense.
Yesterday we were working on a service project together and talking about what it means to live a life of service. At one point he turned to me and said, “You know Jim, I’ve discovered that the key to being used by God is to simply be useful.” What he meant by that was that many people feel they don’t have special skills or abilities and therefore they’re not qualified to do much of anything that really matters. My friend’s point was that we can all be useful to God in some manner if we are only willing to be used by Him.
His comment reminded me of another friend who was with me on a mission trip a few years ago to remote regions of the Andes Mountains in Peru. Our mission trips almost always revolve around conducting free medical and dental clinics, but this guy was not a healthcare professional and therefore did not have those particular skills.
However, he joined the team with a true servant’s heart and he was willing to do absolutely anything that would be helpful. Sometimes that meant carrying supplies; sometimes he was escorting patients from triage to the doctor to the pharmacy; at other times he held a flashlight for a dentist; at lunchtime he was the one making sandwiches and passing out bottled water. Since the healthcare professionals were always very busy treating patients and therefore didn’t have much time for taking pictures, this guy offered to take pictures with their cameras for them. At one point he probably had six or eight cameras dangling from his wrist as he cycled through the clinic taking multiple pictures for team members who couldn’t take them for themselves.
When it comes to living a life of service to the Lord and to others the key to being used is to simply make yourself useful. As a Pastor I’m deeply grateful for those helpful souls in the church who are willing to do whatever is needed. I may be the one in the high-profile position who gets the pats on the back and the encouraging comments like “Good sermon, Pastor”, but they’re the ones who the Lord uses to keep the church functioning smoothly and well.
The key to being used is to simply make yourself useful. I encourage you to do that today.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 