In His Hands

O Father, I want to be as pliable as a lump of clay in Your hands and as silent. By that I mean I don’t want to question Your design of me. I acknowledge that You have every right to make me--and to use me--however You wish.

Yet, as You know, Father, I tend to look at other “vessels” You have made and to want to be like them. And, as You also know, I tend to think my many flaws make me of little use to You. Forgive me for demeaning your design of me. You knew exactly what You were doing when You created me. Forgive me for being unwilling to believe You want to use me.

Father, I acknowledge that I am the work of Your hands and that You can and will use me for Your purposes—whether in common or uncommon ways, whether in special service or lowly service. The choice is Yours. I'm content with whatever You choose. I'm excited to see what You will do in me and with me and through me.

Behold as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in Mine (Jeremiah 18:6).

Seek to Serve

Employees at a fast food restaurant I enjoy smile at every customer and say, “Thank you for choosing Chick-fil-A. How may I serve you?” 

As I reflect on that, I realize that the “How may I serve you?” question is an excellent one you and I can ask as we encounter people throughout the day. What does this person need? Assistance? Encouragement? Rest? Money? Am I able to provide that? Do I know someone who can?

Although choosing to serve others requires something of us, it is the right thing to do. Jesus taught us that. He temporarily gave up the glories of heaven to come to this earth to live among needy and sinful people like you and me in order to show us how to love and serve while we're here and to provide the way for us to live eternally in Heaven with Him. 

The Bible says, “He came not to be served, but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

His mission was to serve others, and He did. So should we.

When the "Extras" Aren't Extra

One evening as I talked with a friend on my cell phone, I said, “James and I are having a wonderful time, but we are sooooo tired. Traveling over a thousand miles by car, plus sleeping in a different hotel room each night and having to lug our ‘stuff’ in and out every day has about worn us out.”

That was the truth! And since we had overnighted in ten different rooms (with three more to go!), I had noticed the difference in the quality of the services provided at each location, even though all the rooms had cost about the same.

For example, one place offered freshly baked cookies to weary travelers checking in for the night. In another establishment, guests could sit in comfy chairs in the spacious lobby and listen to a local musician play soothing music on the piano.

Some of the hotels provided “high end” travel-size soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, as well as thick, white, spa-like towels; others provided only shampoo and soap and rather dingy, almost threadbare (but, thankfully, clean!) towels.

Speaking of bathrooms…several were spacious, well-lit, and equipped with wonderful shower heads, good water flow, and grab bars. Others were quite small, especially the one in the log cabin where we stayed one night. That one was not only tiny but was also very dimly lit, due in part to the dark brown quarry tile on the floor and in the shower.

Some beds had snow-white sheets with a crisp finish, as if they’d been ironed. Other beds had well-worn bedding.

Some rooms reflected a designer’s touch, while others were furnished with what was popular years ago. For example, one bathroom had a mint green sink and toilet that had been installed in the 1950s.

Some of the hotels offered complimentary deluxe breakfasts. Others provided only cereal, pastries, juice, and coffee—or nothing.

As I reflected on the varied accommodations we’d had, I recalled this information I’d come across (and jotted down) while reading an on-line travel article before my husband and I had embarked on our two-week vacation: “Drury, a family-owned group of 120 hotels in the Midwest and South, has modest rates, and manages to give guests a lot for their money. The chain’s motto is “The extras aren’t extra” and guests can depend on free hot breakfasts, WiFi and an early-evening gathering with hot appetizers and beverages.” (Copied from http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/why-travelers-are-fed-up-%E2%80%93-and-what-hotels-can-do-about-it.html)  
Although I’ve never had the privilege of staying in a Drury-owned hotel, I’d like to. And if all hotels and motels followed Drury’s example and included “the extras” in the basic services they offer, their guests would enjoy traveling far more and would be “repeat customers.”

Actually, doing more than is required isn’t a new concept. The Bible, written centuries ago, instructs us to go the extra mile, to pursue excellence, to put the needs of others before our own, etc. When we do that, people will notice (and appreciate!) our commitment to excellence—and be inspired by it.

Sing! Serve!

I love to sing hymns, although folks around me probably wish I’d spray myself with a can of hush. Because I don’t sing beautifully, I’m thankful the Bible says, “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:1-2, ESV, emphasis added).

Now, I can make a joyful noise, even if I don’t have a church-choir voice. And I do come before His presence with singing many times throughout the day, especially early each morning before I read the Bible. (I sing softly behind closed doors, of course, so as not to disturb anyone else.)

This morning, I sang a few phrases from the chorus, “I Will Enter His Gates,” which includes these words found in Psalm 100:4, ESV: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!” (If you’d like to listen to the entire song (and sing along!), click here.

After making my joyful noise unto the LORD, I decided I’d "pray back" Psalm 100, so I said to God:

I will, day by day, make a joyful noise unto You, O LORD of all the earth. I will serve You with gladness in my heart and on my face no matter where You lead me to serve, no matter whom You want me to serve. As I serve, I will remember that You are right beside me, so I will sing praises to you  throughout the day as I sense Your presence, not just in the mornings.

I do know that You are the LORD God, the One who made make me, the One who keeps me. Because I’m happy to belong to You, to be  one of the untold numbers of “sheep” in Your pasture and under Your tender care, I will enter Your gates with thanksgiving in my heart. I will enter Your courts with praise. I will give thanks to You. I will bless/honor Your name by my words, actions, and attitudes.

I will gladly do these things because You, O LORD, are good, and Your steadfast love endures forever, and Your faithfulness to all generations. 

Because I experience Your goodness, Your steadfast love, and Your faithfulness every day, I will sing and serve with joy!

Will you, Dear Reader, do the same?

As we age, my friends and I often wish we had the strength and the opportunities to do what we used to do. Thus, I found comfort in the Feb. 18^th devotional in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. (Note: Each devotional is what she sensed Jesus was saying to her, thus the words Me and I refer to Jesus.) In this particular writing, He urges her (and, by implication, you and me) to realize our “down” time (or our “slowing down” time) is an opportunity to become more aware of His presence with us, to get to know Him better, to learn to serve Him in simple ways, to notice how He’s working in every circumstance, and to remember this:

“Some of the greatest works in My kingdom have been done from sickbeds and prison cells.”

May we learn the same lesson the Apostle Paul did. As you may recall, he begged God three times to remove his “thorn in the flesh.” (No one knows for sure what the thorn was, but we can assume it was something painful.) Although God said no, He reassured Paul with these words: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV).

That powerful insight dramatically changed Paul’s view of his situation. He said, “[In light of that assurance], I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, ESV).

Dear Reader, God’s strength is available to us in our weaknesses, in every painful situation, in all our ups and downs, and in all our limitations. Let’s learn to turn to Him, to depend on His strength rather than our own, and to ask Him to show us creative ways we can continue to serve Him—whatever our situation.