service | Revelations From The Road

H-E-L-P

September 27, 2020 by Bill Leave a Comment

God will speak some good advice to us at different times…if we will listen. As I was leaving the grocery store parking lot recently, I saw an older lady putting her groceries in her car and the thought came to me that I should go help her. But I noticed the cart storage unit was right next to her car, so I decided not to intrude. Then, just as I pulled out of my parking space, the word “help” came into my mind. It was like God was saying, “What could those four letters, H E L P, stand for?” So, on the drive home, I began thinking about it. It didn’t take but a few minutes to come up with something I felt good about; something that might encourage others concerning HELP.

H E L P: Hope for Each Living Person. We all need hope and everyone we see out in public is a living person and I thought, what if someone you encounter had prayed to God, “Show me that You still care for me Lord.” They may be going through a hard time and are discouraged but here you are, coming up to them offering your help with something. That would give them hope and would be an answer to their prayer if they’d prayed that. Even if they had not prayed that prayer, your kindness would be a shining light of Jesus who is in you. We need to look for opportunities to help someone. This reminds me of something that came to me years ago: “If you’re willing, you won’t have to go out of your way to find someone to help, God will put someone IN your way.” Be aware and be on the lookout. “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (Hebrews 6:10)

Then, as I got home, I realized there was more to this lesson. The word HOPE kept coming to me and I felt God wanted me to add this to the revelation. So, I thought… H O P E – Help One Person Everyday. Now I know the word, “everyday” is not used here in the proper way but that’s what I got. Help someone every day. Who knows who we may give hope to? Well, God knows, and He will lead us to them if we’ll pay attention. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). Let’s be the Christ follower who gives someone hope.

Who Are Ministers?

February 19, 2017 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given February 2017

I was thinking on the way to church this morning about my pastor. I know he got up very early, started getting ready to go to the church and probably was thinking, “What ministry am I going to do today?” He might think: Praise & worship, preaching, teaching, praying, encouraging, leading people to Christ and whatever other acts of service the people need. Our pastor and all pastors are called to be ministers.

Then, I thought about myself and all the people who would attend our church service today. We got up and got ready to go to church but did we ask ourselves, “What ministry am I going to do today?” Probably not. I wouldn’t have thought of it either had the Holy Spirit not nudged me to think about it. Actually, we’re ALL called to be ministers, not pastors, but ministers. Look what it says in Ephesians 4:11-12: “And He (Jesus) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”. Jesus gave these five groups of people the responsibility of “equipping the saints”, that’s us, the church congregation, to do the work of ministry. And who does the work of the ministry? Ministers! That’s us, so WE can build up the body of Christ.

So, now that you know you’re a minister, start asking yourself each day, “What ministry am I going to do today?” Keep in mind this is not only a Sunday ministry but an everyday ministry. We, as ministers, are called to do the work of the ministry among those we meet and interact with each day; our family, co-workers, neighbors, at school, people at the grocery store or fast food restaurant and just those we pass by. And, if you feel you’re not “equipped” for the ministry, get out your Bible and devotional book, pray about it or ask your pastor or another minister for help. We are responsible. Let’s do our work of service and God will smile down on us saying, “Now that’s my people.”

Do Something For God

January 22, 2017 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given January 2010

Do you love the Lord? Usually when you love someone, you want to do things for them. So, what can we do for the Lord? He has certainly done and continues to do so much for us! One thing is to do what He says: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15). He has commanded lots of things in His Word so we need to find out what those things are, (read your Bible), then do what it says, “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only…” (James 1:22).

Now, God doesn’t need His house fixed, He doesn’t need money, food, or clothes. He doesn’t need encouraging, consoling, or advising. God doesn’t need us to visit Him in the hospital…do you see where this going? So how can we do something nice for the Lord? Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40). So if we do these kinds of things for God’s people, we’re doing them for Him. He takes it personally.

On the other hand, He also takes it personally when we harm one of his children. Remember what He said to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus? “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 26:14). Saul¸ (later, the apostle Paul), had been traveling around arresting and killing Christians and Jesus likened that to doing it to Him. He takes it personally. As parents, we know if someone does something bad to our kids, they’re doing it to us too. And if someone does something nice for our kids, we like it. Father God is the same way.

So, how can we do something for the Lord? We can buy the Lord lunch today, we can pay His light bill, visit Him in the hospital; we can encourage or console Him. We can minister to His body by helping other parts of the Body; our fellow Christians. Look around you and see which one of God’s children needs help. Or maybe they don’t need help but you could just do something nice for them. God takes it personally. Let’s do something for the Lord today and this week.

Four Steps to Service

July 16, 2016 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given June 2016

Recently at church, many of us were standing at the altar after a convicting message by our pastor Wayne Hager in which he encouraged us to be like the prophet Isaiah when he said, “Here am I. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8). As I stood there in prayer, I felt like Isaiah who previously had cried, “Woe to me!” (V. 5), because he felt unworthy to be sent by God on the mission. I saw myself as a damaged vessel that leaked and was of little use to the Lord. Then suddenly, as I prayed, these words came to me: Forgive me, Fix me, Fill me then Forward me. As I stood there asking God to use me, I asked Him to do these four things so that I would be a useful vessel capable of being successful in whatever He wanted me to do. Of course God can do all these things but He won’t force Himself on anyone; He needs our willingness to serve as His signal to work with us. So, I’d like to go a little deeper into these four steps of service.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). The first step in being prepared to serve is to admit that you have sinned and ask God’s forgiveness. We are all vessels made by God but we have done things that have contaminated and damaged our vessel so we must confess and repent of those things in order to be repaired. “Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes,” (2 Timothy 2:21a).

Second, we need to be fixed. We need to ask God to repair the cracks in us so that we can be a vessel useful for His purposes. “made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” (V. 21b). Fill the cracks, repair the clay so we can hold whatever God want to pour into us.

Thirdly, now that we are forgiven for our damaging actions and have been fixed and repaired in order to hold the contents God wants us to have, we ask Him to Fill us with Himself. “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31). When we are filled with the Holy Spirit of God, nothing will be impossible for us, (Matthew 19:26). And personally, I ask God to fill me to overflowing with His Spirit so that, as I meet people each day, that Spirit will slosh over on them.

And fourth, now that we are forgiven, fixed and filled, it’s time to ask God to Forward us on to the assignment He had planned for us to accomplish. “Here I am Lord, send me, I’m ready now.” God created us in His image to begin with but the sin nature that originated with the disobedience of Eve and Adam in the garden made us, as vessels, damageable. But God wants to rework us, rebirth us, back into vessels of honor so we can continue serving and accomplishing the plans He has for our lives.

This four-part prayer might be something you’d want to pray each morning as you begin your day with God. “God, forgive me, fix me, fill me and forward me.” And God says, “Okay, let’s go!”

Memorials

May 24, 2015 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given May 23, 2015

We are celebrating Memorial Day but what do we think of on this day? A day off from work, cookouts, the military? Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines a memorial as: Something that keeps remembrance alive: as a monument. When we see a monument or picture, we remember the significance from the past that the item represents. Officially becoming a holiday in 1971, the last Monday in May honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Tomorrow, we remember and honor those great Americans.

The Bible is full of memorials; things that remind us of God’s mercy and grace in the past. The first memorial is the rainbow that God set in the sky to remind HIMSELF of his promise, (Genesis 9:13-16). Communion is another one; our remembrance of what Jesus did for us, Jesus said, “this do in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19-20). Many times God’s people set up an altar or memorial to remind them of God’s goodness. In Joshua 4:1-7 after they crossed the Jordan River, God had Joshua to command the Israelites to set up twelve stones as a memorial. When the children would see the stones and ask what they were, the adults could tell the story of how God delivered them from the Egyptians.

The flood, the death of Jesus and the exodus were all troubling and difficult times but God takes care of His people. They see the memorial and remember that God is good and is on their side. Is there something in your past that was bad but God brought you through it? If you’re saved, your pre-Jesus life was bad. Think of a time when God brought you through. Now, choose something for your memorial: a rock, a picture, a tree, a pocket cross, something that, when you see it, you will be reminded of what God did for you. And, when the devil comes reminding you of something in your past, show him your memorial and say, “Look what the Lord has done!” “So Devil…you can leave now.”