His Chosen Vessel
Matthew 9:35-38 (NLT)
35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT)
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Last weekend I traveled six hours away from home to attend a work-related conference. This event was well attended, with over two thousand women who were full of excitement and joy. It was a wonderful event!
Prior to the event, my husband dropped me off at the Convention Center. It was super windy due to a storm that was moving into the area. By the time I got into the Convention Center, my hair was blown every which direction, so I decided to go straight to the ladies room to fix it.
As I was about to leave the ladies room, I was approached by a young lady who could tell by my uniform, that I was in management with the company that I work for. She asked me if she could have a quick minute of my time. I agreed, and basically, a brief Q and A session began.
She asked me if I could tell her one thing that could help her to become successful in her business, what would it be? I was struck by her sincere desire to know what she should do to move up to the next level in her business. I could see the expression on her face saying, help me. I could tell that she was definitely serious about getting pointed in the right direction.
Although I was in a hurry, something inside of me, encouraged me to stop and visit with her. I shared a few thoughts and she asked me for my business card and then we parted ways. At conferences like these, women exchange cards
all of the time and then you may or may not hear again from the person that you are exchanging cards with. I had no idea that we would continue to communicate with each other.
The following Monday morning, to my surprise the lady that I had met at the conference, sent me a text message sharing how much she appreciated me taking the time to share with her. She also told me how much our the little visit had helped her.
On my second day back home she actually called me. As we talked she shared with me, how God had blessed her with free parking prior to coming to the conference. She also said that, prior to entering the Convention Center, she had sat in her car and prayed and asked God to bless her to meet someone who could help her to get re-inspired and to move forward. She said that little did she think that He would answer her prayer so quickly.
During our phone call, she told me that I had no idea how much I had helped her and that I was probably just going through life answering the same questions that I answer all of the time. Although this seemed like a normal day for
me, for her it was a special gift. She was so blessed by those few brief moments that were shared with her, that her heart was flooded with overwhelming gratitude. Her genuine expression of gratitude for those few moments, made me wonder how many times we go through life, simply too busy to stop and listen to another person ’s struggle or pain, good news, etc. Clearly, it made a difference for her to have someone to talk with, and the icing on the cake was that she also received a possible solution for her challenges.
She told me that God had used me and that I didn’t even know it. All I can say is thank you, Jesus, for using me as your chosen vessel for that moment.
After talking with her, I also thought of how many times that I had possibly rushed passed someone, not realizing that just a few kind words from me could have made all of the difference in their day. I am not speaking of a simple hello. We are all good at that, but how many times do we actually take the time to have a meaningful conversation with a complete stranger? Obviously, we are not going to have an interaction with everyone that crosses our path, but I do believe that God orchestrates divine appointments. If we are walking closely with Him, we will know when we need to stop, or slow down and engage with someone that He has placed before us, so let’s not miss our cue.
There were times when Jesus would be traveling to a place and He would be stopped by an individual or a crowd. Regardless of His desire to move on with His plan, He would stop to meet their needs.
To be Christ-like we must be willing to occasionally be inconvenienced. We must be willing to stop and listen and meet the needs of those that he places in our path. If we are to be used as His chosen vessel we must be willing to
sacrifice ourselves for others. I desire to be His chosen vessel, my sincere hope is that you desire to be the same. Blessings to you for choosing to be His Chosen Vessel!
Romans 12:7-8 (NLT)
7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 (NLT)
14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone 15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
Proverbs 11:17 (NLT)
17 Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you.
