✝ Daily Encouragement (7/19/22) "Doing Something Ordinary For God"
Published: Tue, 07/19/22
A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber.
You are receiving this email because you have signed up to receive our Daily Encouragement messages or it was forwarded to you. Don't forget to add [email protected] to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox! Having trouble viewing this email? Click here.
You are receiving this email because you have signed up to receive our Daily Encouragement messages or it was forwarded to you. Don't forget to add [email protected] to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox! Having trouble viewing this email? Click here.
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Our friend Doris High took this up close photo of a windmill on an Amish farm in Ohio.
"Doing Something Ordinary For God"
Message summary: In our view the vast, vast majority of work being done for God is done by ordinary people doing ordinary things out of the spotlight.
"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).
![]() That was nearly 50 years ago now (ouch!) and life is continually transitioning day by day, year after year. I don't imagine any objective analysis of my life up to this point would warrant a claim that I've done anything really great. I've never pastored a large or nationally known local church. I never gained fame as a worldwide evangelist such as Billy Graham or lesser known evangelists. For sure my name is not
associated with recording artists! As a writer I don't have any published books or best-sellers although I have found satisfaction in preparing these daily messages since 1996. This, along with my service as a chaplain to some 500 employees in various companies, is currently the way I serve. Of course Brooksyne and I share both of these ministries together. We have appreciated gracious feedback over the years indicating that we have touched people's lives but certainly make no claim to
greatness or being in any spotlight.
The aspiration to do something great is commendable. Yet a sense of unworthiness can sweep over a person, who, after an honest assessment of their giftings or lack thereof, realize they're simply unable to accomplish anything reckoned as great by others. Many have dropped the baton of service when their aspiring dream never fully materialized. They could only imagine worthiness of ministry if serving in a big way or in the
spotlight.
![]() He makes an interesting point that is so instructive. "There are a lot of people trying to grab the spotlight in our world. The platforms that have no spotlight or that are far away from the spotlight are always empty so we need to find God right there." I believe Doug is saying to look for ministry opportunities that don't always have the spotlight on them, those that may be ordinary.
We propose another aspiration that may initially seem rather uninspiring: "Do something ordinary for God!" All of us can do that and faithfulness in the ordinary really does matter. In our view the vast, vast majority of work being done for God is by ordinary people doing ordinary things out of the spotlight. Now, praise God, sometimes the ordinary does become great, such as the young boy with the fish and bread that Jesus multiplied to feed the crowd. He simply offered the ordinary he had and Jesus performed the miracle. We read nothing more in Scripture of that boy again. We can assume he went on to live an ordinary life, hopefully in faithful service to Christ. Our aspiration should be to glorify God in our obedience and service to Him, not to make anything great of ourselves, let alone seek the spotlight. Let us consider the daily verse, written to a group of people "The Hebrews", none of whom we know by name. But as part of the Holy Scriptures we can read this verse applying it to our own lives. ![]() "He will not forget your work". Others may forget or not even notice, but God always sees and remembers! "And the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people". How do we show our love for God? Surely through our praises, thankfulness, obedience and in many other ways. But this verse specifies a way that goes to the very heart of ministry and it's generally demonstrated in ordinary ways. In some wonderful way as we help and serve God's people, we are actually helping and serving God. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). "And continue to help them". The writer of Hebrews was confident that this help was active and ongoing, as he finished the sentence with this phrase. Are you in active service for God and His people today? If so, keep it up. What a great blessing long-term, faithful, and dependable workers are in the kingdom of God. You may not be in the spotlight, in fact it's likely you're not. But He sees and will not forget your work. He generously rewards us in this life but His greater reward will be given in the life to come! Today do something ordinary for God so that He will use it for His extraordinary purposes. Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
![]() ![]() Several years after this visit I tried to call her but got a recorded message that her phone had been disconnected. I had a sense that she may have moved on to her eternal destination. On a hunch I typed her name and "obituary" into the search engine and sure enough she had passed away at 91 years of age. Her obituary had this descriptive statement, "As a minister for over fifty years, a published author and a teacher, she devoted her life to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others." Early in their marriage they faced a loss that required significant overcoming. While they were pastoring a church in Iowa their eleven year old son, while delivering newspapers, was killed by a drunk driver. When we visited her in 2006 she wept as she told us the details of her heartbreaking story, some 50 years earlier. Both she and her husband understandably had a very difficult time but by God's grace they sought to overcome and went on to touch many lives for Christ. Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Ordinary People" Video Danniebelle Hall
"Use
Me" Video Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
|