Sunday, June 5, 2011

Tell Me about the Godly Person Who Out Lived Their Life by Investing in You

Everyone has been touched by someone who unknowingly “out lived their life” by influencing you in a positive, godly way. I would love to hear about those people. Write me and tell me about them. What made them special? How did their life affect yours? How did your life change because of what they did? SERIOUSLY, WRITE ME!

Personally, I think of women like Phyllis Copp, Linda Chapman, Mrs. Powell, Teri Cupples Foti – all these women saw something in me that I could not. They were my Sunday school teachers, encouragers, and mentors. I remember teaching my peers in Mrs. Powell’s class. I remember spending time with Phyllis Copp. Mrs. Linda encouraged me and still does giving me words of wisdom. Teri was a teacher, but she also discipled me.

The people that brought about change in your life, did they have special powers? Did they have special training? Were they perfect? Could they leap over buildings in one bound, stop a speeding bullet, etc? Get the picture? The women I mentioned weren’t seminarians. They hadn’t sat at the feet of Beth Moore, but they had sat at the feet of Jesus. They obeyed where He led them. They had courage to go outside their comfort zones to allow this high-strung, strong-willed girl “teach” a Sunday school lesson.

Now think about the legacy you are leaving. Are you even leaving one? You are never too young to invest in the life of another by ministering and serving them in the name of Jesus Christ.

There are many excuses people will use as to why they cannot.

1. LACK OF ABILITY – Been here, tried that…not a good defense (just so you know). Satan used to tell me I couldn’t lead and minister because I am uneducated in women’s ministry. I couldn’t lead because I wasn’t equipped. Let’s face it; my job investigating insurance fraud doesn’t exactly lead itself to ministry. BUT I heard a quote that stuck with me, “God doesn’t always call the qualified, but He always qualifies those He calls.”

In Mark 2, a man could have let his inability, his deficiency keep him from Jesus, but instead, his deficiency is what led not only himself but FOUR OTHER MEN to meet Jesus. You see the man was a paralytic. He couldn’t have walked to see Jesus even if he had wanted to. Instead, four men carried him to meet Jesus, carried him up the stairs to the roof, removed tiles and thatching and then lowered him to Jesus. God used a man’s inability to walk to bring four men to see Jesus, to improve their faith and to witness a miracle. Not only the four men but the crowd who were present that day saw the power of God in the form of a miracle in the life of this man.

Yeah, lack of ability is not a good defense to not serving.

2. MY HISTORY – If you have never heard my friend Sunni teach on the women in the Bible, you need to. She has a passion for this subject, and you can see it ignite in her as she talks about the Samaritan woman at the well talking to Jesus.

You see, the Jewish men often thought it was a waste of time to speak with women, much less a Samaritan woman with her reputation. This just goes to show that man’s thoughts are not the same as God’s because Jesus had a conversation with the Samaritan woman. The Jews hated the Samaritans. They hated the Samaritans because they were part Jews and part Jewish but following their own rules. The Jews thought the Samaritans were filthy and vile. Jesus saw a woman – a woman with a past who needed everlasting life.

What was this woman’s legacy? This woman with a past brought the town to meet Jesus, and isn’t that what we are supposed to be about – BRINGING PEOPLE TO JESUS?

Once you have asked Jesus into your heart, God no longer sees every sin you’ve committed. He sees a trail of blood from the cross covering every transgression. So, be like the Samaritan woman at the well and bring those you have known from your past to meet the Jesus in your present.

3. MY FINANCES: God does not consist in the constraints of time nor is he bound to work within our fiscal means. His math does not conform to the computations that mathematical scholars utilize in every day existence.

• 2 Peter 3:8 “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years”

• Mark 6:30-39: 5 loaves + 2 fish = 5000 men completely satisfied

Be faithful and obedient with what He has given to you, and let Him work out the rest whether it is financially, physically, or time-wise.

There is no excuse that God hasn’t already overcome. The question is, “Are you willing to lay down your excuses to follow God?”

Here’s the thing, if you don’t get involved, you’re going to kick yourself for missing it. I don’t want you to do that.

Get informed. Come serve Wednesday night.

1 comment:

Sunni said...

HOLLA!!! :) And I'm getting to teach the Samaritan woman to my daughter in VBS this week, too.

There have been so many Godly women in my life. God is so faithful to weave them throughout each of my seasons.

-There was a girlfriend who was a few years younger, but still managed to minister to me in such a huge way.

-My co-workers at Calvary, especially Judy Young, Julie Choate and Susan Resendez. They have been great with mentoring me about working in ministry and raising a family.

-Jean Davis who is like the energizer bunny. She doesn't let her age stop her and she's serves selflessly. I pray that I have that energy and heart in my golden years.