Do you ever feel as if people hardly notice what you do? Or say?
We all have days–or down times–now and then. That's when we remind ourselves what we know is true. God created us
Have you ever noticed how each link in a chain needs the others or else it can extend no farther than its own length?
It's an imperfect comparison, but God links us to the people around us, too. In ways we may never know, He uses us in the lives of others to carry out His purposes.
We have no need to understand how for that to be true.
All we need to do is trust and pray, then leave the specifics to Him.
Looking at one "chain" through the wide-angle lens of time
In 1824 an ordinary man, Edward Kimball, felt "someone" should start a Sunday school class for boys in a poor neighborhood of Boston.
No one else seemed interested, so even though he didn't view himself as qualified, Kimball took on the task. At first he felt clumsy in his teaching of the Bible, but young men started coming.
An 18-year old shoe clerk attended and came to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. His name was Dwight L. Moody.
Not long after, D. L. Moody moved to Chicago and established a successful shoe business. Later, he started a Sunday school class, as well. Over time, weekly attendance grew to 1500.
Even though Moody was poorly educated, he felt called to preach the Gospel. Before long, wherever Moody went, huge crowds turned out to hear him.
When Moody spoke in Great Britain, one who came was a pastor: F. B. Meyer.
Meyer went home a changed man, with a new view of the Christian faith. He altered his preaching style and soon Meyer, too, began to draw crowds.
Eventually Meyer came to the U. S. to preach and one who heard him was another preacher: J. Wilbur Chapman.
Chapman decided to become an evangelist and went from city to city. His audiences grew and soon he needed an assistant.
The young helper Chapman hired was a baseball player, Billy Sunday.
After awhile, Billy Sunday became an evangelist, too, and preached in the South. He held prayer meetings and people came. In 1894 he held a prayer meeting in North Carolina.
One who attended his North Carolina prayer meetings and came to faith was Mordecai Ham. He resolved somehow he would reach people for Jesus. Ham, too, began preaching the Gospel throughout the rural areas of North Carolina.
In 1934 a 16-year old farm boy with nothing to do came to one of Ham's revival meetings.
That young man's name? Billy Graham.
We live our todays, but God sees time from the beginning to the end
God used each of these "ordinary" men to impact countless lives. For eternity.
They were links in His chain, even though they had no idea that was true.
He uses us, too, although we may not see how. You and I may think what we do for the Lord is small and insignificant. But there's no telling what GOD will do with our humble efforts.
So if today you're dragging and feel you have nothing to offer, no place, no purpose, take heart.
If you believe in Jesus as your Savior you can know for sure, that God IS using you.
Right now.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. –Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
Read that last sentence again and let it sink in to your heart and your mind.
". . . prepared in advance for us to do."
All we need to do is live our lives, free of anxiety about figuring out what we should be doing for Him. God's got it all covered, so be at peace.
Growing, too,
Lenore
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