The choices we make, determine the tools He uses.
I was able to go on a mission trip a few years ago, where the group of guys built a church for a community in Honduras that had a pastor, who had a flock, but needed a meeting place. I signed up for this trip, because finally there was a mission trip that my skills could be utilized greatly.
What skills you might ask? Grunt labor.
Yes, I know not many people possess the skills it takes to do grunt labor, but I am one of the few. I learned a lot about mixing cement, squaring up the walls of the building, and strategically placing big rocks so that the main road to the church would stop eroding. All of those things that I learned required tools, the right tools. A shovel, sand, and work when it wanted to cement mixer was needed to make a cement mix that would hold the concrete blocks in place. Some string, a couple of wood stakes, and a level eye were used to square up the four walls. For the rocks, we mostly used muscle and brains. It was like a real life game of Tetris, we had to fit the rocks in specific spots so that the road wouldn’t give way. All of that work wasn’t done for a pat on the back, but for God’s glory, and the most amazing thing was that it inspired the locals to pitch in and serve their own community.
Following Jesus’ example of serving others is a choice. When I acknowledged the mercy and grace that Christ displayed on the cross for my sins that was the day that I freely chose to follow His will. The examples that we read about in the Bible about Jesus serving others, provides opportunities for our free will to choose the right thing. I think the wrong question was asked several years ago. Instead of asking ourselves W.W.J.D., I think we need to start asking W.D.J.D. (What Did Jesus Do). The model of servant hood that He displayed for others to see was for us to take notice and choose to do the same.
We need to set aside our selfish desires and choose daily to serve others. This, from personal experience, is the hardest thing to do. Every morning my prayers consist of making much of what God wants, and not my wants. Now, with full disclosure, this doesn’t always happen. And when it doesn’t I get in a funk, it’s such a distinct difference to what doing His will feels like, that it is easy to recognize repent and return to His desires.
Looking for opportunities to serve others helps to develop a caring and sincere heart. This doesn’t come naturally to most people, it is something that needs to be worked on and intentionally done. The best advice I can give to someone that is looking for opportunities is to first set aside your selfish desires and think W.D.J.D., and second know your strengths and weaknesses. Know what abilities God has gifted you with so that serving someone won’t be a question, but an action. Also, if you feel like serving others monetarily, create a budget. Budgeting your money shows you changes you can make, so that you can honor God more than your wardrobe. On a side note, if you want to get started serving others right away, but don’t know where to start. Go to www.craigslist.org, and then click the appropriate state and city that you live in, and then click on the wanted section. This section is a place where people can place wants or needs that they might have. Pick one, and help meet a specific need of someone, that’s what Jesus did.
When we choose to think of others more than ourselves, that action becomes a tool in God’s hand to touch and change many lives. I mentioned earlier that some of the locals, in the community where we were building a church, began to help us which in turn they were helping their own community. The group of guys on that mission trip, allowed God to shine through them and use them as tools to build His church and expand His kingdom. So my question for you and me is, are we grabbing the right screwdriver and being the right tool?
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. -1 Corinthians 9:19
“Love so amazing, so divine; demands my soul, my life, my all.”
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