by Kari Stewart on October 07, 2024
Statistics can be overwhelming. In fact, it makes us wonder if our little part will actually make an impact. God’s Word tells us not to begrudge small beginnings in Zechariah 4. It’s not about the quantity of how we respond, but our obedient response to the invitation that God puts before us.
-
In John 6, Jesus multiplied a boy's lunch of five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 people, not including women and children.
-
In 2 Kings 4:1-7, a widow is faced with an insurmountable debt and is told that if she does not pay it, that her two sons will become slaves to the person owed the money to pay off the debt. She told the prophet Elisha what she was facing, and he asked her “What do you have?” She had nothing in her house but ajar of oil. One jar of oil covered an insurmountable debt.
-
In 1 Samuel 17, a young boy, accepts the challenge of a giant who is taunting God’s people. As they cower in fear and choose inaction, David takes a sling and a stone to bring down the tormentor in the name of God.
In these stories, we see the following:
-
Faith in God
-
Prayer
-
Action
-
Obedience
God used what they had!!!! A basket of fish and bread, a jar of oil, a sling, and a stone. None of these are even that notable, until God steps in and does the miraculous.
As we prepare to host our annual Missions Focus Weekend our theme this year is:
Bold Faith Gentle Love
Bold Faith as a reminder that we who call Jesus our Lord and Savior are to “tell of His great news” boldly and to love those not walking with Jesus and to gently be present with them without condemnation or criticism. The Holy Spirit will do the work as we are obedient to what He puts into our hands.
42% of the World has yet to hear the name of Jesus – what do we have in our hand that God can use? I want to encourage us not to cower as this statistic seems too great for us to make a dent in. Prayerfully consider what God has put into your hand. What do you have access to? What can you submit before the Lord and inquire how it can be used?
Do you have time? Prayerfully consider volunteering with our Missions Office, going on a short-term mission trip, or praying for the missionaries and organizations that we support.
Do you have talent? God has uniquely gifted you for His purpose. I don’t want to even list talents needed – you know what you are gifted at, we’d love to meet with you to see how those talents could be put to use to reach those who haven’t heard the name of Jesus yet.
Do you have treasure? Has God blessed you financially to make the name of Jesus known in the hardest to reach regions of the World?
The disciples, the Israelites, and the widowed woman didn’t see a way out of their situation, but God saw what was in their hand and used it to provide for them and to grow our faith as fellow believers in Christ.
I don’t know about you, but the words of David emboldened me:
“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.” 1 Samuel 17:45
There is power in the name of Jesus – Let’s pay attention to what is in our hand and what God is inviting us to be a part of.
