Being in His Service

Romans 5:8-11Contemporary English Version (CEV)
8But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.
9But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger. 10Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son's life. 11And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.

Back in August I flew out to Nevada to see a friend whom the physicians said had only days to live. I wanted to see my friend and make sure she knew I loved her. I also hoped that we could talk about her eternal life and make sure she had accepted Christ as her savior.

I prayed early morning to night for my friend. I attended her church and we prayed for my friend. I gave my favorite travel bible to her husband and saw him reading the Word every morning. I praised God when I saw her reading a bible I had given her more than 30 years ago. I attended her son's church and praised God as I witnessed him give his first sermon.

Through it all I felt such a sense of failure and inadequacy because I didn't feel I had just the right words to make sure she had accepted Christ as her savior.
I thought about the people at church who testified about “leading someone to Christ” and I prayed for the right words. But I never felt I had it just right.

Last night (5 months later) here in January, my friend called and said she had a set-back and needed more tests.
First, I praised God that my friend, who was declared to have only days to live five months ago, had called me. Then I prayed that she had indeed given her life to Christ. I then sent out a prayer request on our Prayer Line.

I sat here at the computer and was led to the following prayer:

"Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless.
I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus forgive me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend.
I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ."
Amen. http://www.intothelight.org/answers/sinners-prayer.asp

which I forwarded to her son (now a minister).
Then I prayed again for my ministry.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11New International Version (NIV)
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Just as He determines.
I realize that I may never have the joy of personally knowing that someone was led to Christ through something I said or did but that doesn't mean that God has not used me to do just that.

It is perhaps time that I stop whining, even silently, about what I can't do for our Lord and be about doing what He has given me to do to the best of my ability.

I ask prayer for my service to God.

May God Forever Be a Blessing in Your Life!!!