What do you have?

Last summer, the Lord began to work something into my spirit. He used a devotional which talked about a man named Shamgar. Shamgar’s story is found in the Old Testament portion of the Bible. Our friend wrote:

“’Shamgar . . struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox goad. He too saved Israel.’ (Judges 3:31 NIV). One man, unarmed, against six hundred Philistine warriors! He used what he had – an ox goad, a wooden stick tipped with bronze that a farmer used to prod his work animals. A common farm utensil, not much at all, except in the hands of a determined and courageous farmer, resulting in a rousing victory that stirred the heart of a nation against its enemy.

An unusual story? Yes, but not an uncommon one in the Bible, and in everyday life. It sounds familiar to me – like Moses and a shepherd’s staff, or Gideon and his trumpet, or Samson and a jawbone, or David and a slingshot, or a boy with a small lunch of bread and fish. God’s story is about using ordinary people in extraordinary ways when they are willing to use what they have for God’s purposes and glory.

You may not have what you want; you may not have everything you need; you may not have what others have; you do have something that God can use. ‘God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well...’ (Romans 12:6-8 NLT). Remember, the key to doing all you can do is using all that you have.”

This concept, of using what I have, was brought back to me last night when a friend reminded me of the New Testament scripture in Acts 3:1-9 when Peter and John were going to the temple and saw a man who had been lame from birth. Peter says, (vs 6, NKJV), “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Peter had faith, authority, and firsthand knowledge and understanding of the healing power found in Jesus Christ. When Peter gave what he had, it changed the life of the lame man, who rose up and began walking, leaping and praising God, and became a testimony to others of the power and love of God.

My friend reminded me that I am to use what I have for God’s purposes. I cannot give what I do not have, but God wants me to share what He has given to me.

What do you have? Does it look ordinary or familiar like Shamgar’s farm tool? What is your special ability? The question is, “will you use what you have for God’s glory, even if looks like it is very small or not enough?”

You may think you have nothing of value. Please do not judge contrary to the Lord’s estimation. He is truth and He says He has given you gifts. He has given you faith. If your faith seems small, faith is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and it can grow as you seek Him and study His words. You can share what you do have with others, and as you do, it will grow and multiply.

There is something else you do have. You have a voice. If you know Jesus, you can use your voice to share Him with others, to pray, to encourage those who are discouraged. You can speak truth. You can help others turn their eyes from their situations to God by sharing of His character of love, forgiveness, and faithfulness and you can help bring them to a place of hope.

You also have 24 hours in a day. What do you do with your time? Are you spending it doing things that count for eternity? Are you using some of your time to serve others? Are you spending time praying and worshipping God with all of your heart? Are you spending time reading His Word, which brings strength and nourishment to our souls? Or are you investing your time in things that do not have eternal value but are worldly? We can use what we have for Him and His Kingdom.

The nation of Japan has been in my heart for years, but even more so for the past two weeks. I have a tremendous love for the people. Much of my time is spent on my knees praying for the people, for the lost, for the pain, fear, and grief of the people. I am also praying against potential nuclear devastation. I am asking God to work miracles in Japan.

Recently I heard someone say they would like to send money for relief for the Japanese, but added that they only had a little bit, as if their little would not be important to someone who has just lost everything.

God does not require us to give what we DO NOT have. But He does expect us to give what we DO have. He expects us to take whatever He has given to us, whether it seems great or small, and use it in obedience to His directions. When we do that, He is faithful to work in and through us to impact lives for eternity.

So, I ask you again. What do you have? Will you use it unselfishly for God’s glory, for His Kingdom and His purposes?

Take inventory of what you have. If you have things of the world in excess, repent if obtaining those things were your doing and not God’s. Then take what you have and commit it to God. He will show you what to do. And as you obey, you will be blessed beyond measure. The reward of walking in His will and being used by Him is, in itself, a blessing. He will use the ordinary to do the extraordinary is amazing. He will redeem what is needed. And He will use you to bring glory to Him. The fact that you and I, as mortal human beings, can bring glory to God is a miracle in itself.

My prayer for you, as it is for myself, is that we will use what we have and then be delighted at seeing God at work through us to provide for and impact the lives of those around us.

Deep-plowing the Ground

Spring has arrived in Texas. As I look out my office window at the tree line in the back pasture, I see that there are places where the tiny green buds are appearing on the trees and the redbud trees are blooming. Our plum, peach and apricot trees are flowering, and the wild flowers are beginning to appear.

We have been working the ground in our garden, getting ready to plant. I have noticed that it is very difficult to work hard ground, and almost impossible for anything but weeds to grow there. It is even more difficult to work the ground when there are rocks in it.

That is where my life has been for the past few months. I have been in a season when I felt totally empty, but realized I was only empty of the good things of life like peace, joy, strength, motivation. Instead my heart was hardened with grief, fear, apathy, anger and other such things that were stealing my life. When those things grow inside of us, they are more like cancers as they don't stay the same size like rocks do. They grow and consume us and have a way of choking out the good things.

When Charlie and I moved to the country, one of the first things we had to purchase was a tractor. The man who delivered our Kabota tractor walked the pastures with Charlie. He told Charlie that he needed to plow the pastures, and asked if he had a plow. The previous owners left an old plow in the back pasture. Charlie showed it to the man. The man said that it would work, but not very well. It would only plow up the first few inches on the top of the ground, and do a surface work. He told Charlie that he needed a "deep plow." He said that a deep plow would dig deep into the ground and break up the hard places, and at the same time, it would bring any large rocks to the surface so they could be cleaned out. Then he said that this kind of plow was originally not called a "deep plow," but was called a "repentance plow!"

That is what I have needed for my spiritual life...a repentance plow. So last week I made an appointment with a counselor. I spent five hours with her, and at the end of the time, the ground of my heart had been plowed up and the hard places had been removed. She was able to help identify the roots...those things that were causing the anger, hurts and fears that were robbing my spiritual life.

Sometimes we can't see the roots because of our emotions. Our feelings can be fed by lies that we have believed. In the New Testament gospel of John, we are told that when we know the Truth, the Truth, God's truth, sets us free. When His truth is mixed with our faith it replaces the lies and we are set free. That is what I experienced last week. Freedom from the lies is amazing. When the lies are removed and the truth takes hold, joy and peace and motivation and purpose return to our lives.

First I had to take an honest look at my life and my heart. I had to admit that there were hard places. Denying it only makes the situation worse. I then had to tell God that I knew the fears and lies were there. I had to make make the decision not to live that way any more. I also needed help from someone who could see beyond what I could see and who was not bound by the same things that were holding on to me. She, under the guidance of God's Holy Spirit, was able to help lead me to freedom. Sometimes we cannot do the work alone. God has made us as one body, jointly fit together. He has made the Body of Christ such that we need each other; each part is important. We are not to walk alone, so it is okay to reach out for help.

The result has been freedom, healing, joy, peace and a restoration to the place of strength and confidence that is truly LIFE from God. I encourage you that if you have places of hardness in your heart, deal with them...God's way. Be honest with God, and then allow Him to dig deep into your life and reveal truth, pull out the hard places, and bring healing, cleansing and restoration.

Now I am ready for a season of fruitfulness!