Are You Ready?
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:27-28 NKJV).
I was nine years old and couldn’t wait to get to Sunday School. My teacher, a lovely, gentle woman, shared the most wonderful stories with us every week. Then we got to do a craft, a puzzle, or a coloring page.
I didn\’t even care that one Sunday the other children had laughed at me. When we studied the Beatitudes, the teacher asked what we thought Jesus meant when He said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” I didn’t know what ‘righteousness’ was, but it sounded to me like we’d never be thirsty or hungry anymore. This sounded wonderful to a nine-year-old girl, the oldest of five children, whose pantries never held an abundance of food or drink. The older children in the group laughed, but my teacher patiently explained that this hunger wasn’t a physical hunger, but a spiritual one.
That experience opened my eyes to the spiritual realm. Something existed beyond me? A great revelation for a child.
One week I skipped into class and stopped dead short. “Where’s my teacher?” I almost cried on the spot. I’ll never know why she didn’t come, but I do know that we had a substitute, and a man at that! What was HE doing in here?
He probably wondered the same thing. That morning he taught us the basics. What does it mean to be a Christian? He talked about heaven, and what Jesus had sacrificed so that I could spend eternity in such a wonderful place.
That morning at the end of our church service, I ran down the aisle to the altar, knelt down and committed my life to Jesus Christ. When I stood up and turned around, my dad was right behind me crying – one of the only times I’ve ever seen him cry.
I’ve thought many times about that teacher. In hindsight, I realize the Superintendent had probably drafted him that morning, for he did not have a lesson prepared. He could have thrown together a haphazard lesson, reading from the book or passing out crayons and papers. But he allowed the Holy Spirit to direct him to share the simple, yet profound plan of salvation. Because he obeyed, my spiritual eyes were opened.
In what way will you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you today? Perhaps you\’ll be called on to counsel a young woman. A sick mother would surely appreciate your taking care of her children for a few hours. You never know when God will use you to accomplish His will. Are you ready?
Prayer: God, help me to be sensitive to Your leading that I might be instrumental in leading others to You. Thank You for the people in my lifetime who have allowed You to lead them in a way that impacted my life in a positive and eternal way. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.
