Do What You Can Do
SW01.08.11am
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13.
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.’ - Zechariah 12:5.
(CEV translates Zechariah 12:5 as: Then every clan in Judah will realize that I, the LORD All-Powerful, am their God, and that I am the source of their strength.)
INTRO: Xu Yuehua lost her legs in an accident when she was 12-years-old, while gathering coal on a railway - a train hit her. After both of her parents died, she was placed in an orphanage, where she learned how to walk by herself using two stools, and she still uses that method to move around. Xu is 55-years-old now, and has cared for 130 orphans during the years since teaching herself to walk on stools. One child, Sheng Li, believes Xu saved her life and says “Without Big Mum (Xu), I would have died long ago. Her stool walking was the most beautiful sound to me then.” Xu says, “I am actually not a great person, but do what I have to do - to bring these poor kids a mother’s love.” (Rational Review News Digest - the freedom movement’s daily newspaper)
What is it that you can do for the Kingdom of God in 2011? How can you make a difference this year? As human beings, we are capable of great things, greater things than any of God’s other creations upon this earth. It is amazing what Xu Yuehua has accomplished with her life even though she has no legs! We do not know whether she knows the Lord as her Savior or not, but surely God is pleased with the life of Xu Yuehua. Let us pray that she comes to know Jesus Christ as her personal Savior if she is not already a Christian.
Natalie Grant has a song that she sings called, “Human.” She sings that we are called to be “Human.” And, yes, we are called to be human; however, as children of God we can be so much more. We should do all that we can do, plus all that God would have us to do. When we add God into the doing equation, the result will be exponentially more than what we can do only with our human abilities (Philippians 4:13).
There is a poster I once saw that said, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” In a way, this is true. Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart (Revelation 3:20), but we must open the door. God calls (Matthew 4:19), but we must follow. God speaks (1 Kings 19:12), but we must listen. If we only have faith the size of a tiny mustard seed (Matthew 17:20), we can move mountains. First, however, we must make the decision in our hearts to use that faith.
William Carey, the father of modern missions, and missionary to India, had this motto: “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” Carey went beyond thinking about doing things, to actually trying to do things for the Kingdom of God. You may feel like you have few abilities that God can use. You may think that you do not have the education, or training that is necessary to do anything for God. You may feel as though you are too old, or too young, or too sick, or too handicapped, or ________, to do anything for God. If that is what you think, you are wrong! Do what you can do, add God into the equation, and the possibilities are limitless!
This year, let us make the commitment to go beyond just thinking about doing great things for God, to actually attempting great things for God. Now, I want to look more specifically at what all of us can do for the Kingdom of this God to some extent, whether small, or great.
I. Let’s talk briefly about prayer. There are some so-called, mature Christians who say that to pray for yourself is wrong. I believe God would tell them that they are wrong. Jabez, who is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4 is an example of how to pray for yourself and your family. Here’s what it says: “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).”
Not only should we pray for ourselves; but, of course, we should pray for others, and the apostle Paul gives us a prayer list in
1 Timothy where we are told: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence (1 Timothy 2:1-2).”
The Bible also tells us what to expect as a result of our prayers in several places. In 1 John we are told: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).”
One of the very most special people that God placed in my life was my great aunt Carey Hall Wrather. I did not know her very well, and my first memories of her were after her husband, my Dad’s uncle had a severe stroke. We began to visit them more frequently then. They lived about 100 miles from us, so it still was not that often.
My great uncle’s stroke had left him unable to communicate. He could dress himself, and he could eat; however, he did not seem to actually recognize anyone. Adair lived for about 15 years after his stroke, and Carey took care of him at home during that time. Adair grew up on a farm, but for most of his life he worked on the railroad.
When I was 40 years old, I made public God’s call upon my life to preach the Word of God. Soon after, I was sharing this with my parents, and that was when I learned of the prayers of my Aunt Carey. After I told my parents about my decision, they did not seem all that surprised. They then said that my Aunt Carey had been praying that I would not miss God’s call to preach!
I later learned that Carey had been praying first, that I and my son would come to know Jesus as our Savior, and then that we would not miss God’s call to preach. She said that she was doing this, because Adair had always felt like he had missed God’s call.
About that same time, we learned that my three great grandfather, Baker Wrather, had been a Methodist evangelist and pastor. Baker was Adair’s great grandfather, and I am sure that Adair would have known about this. Baker was born in Virginia but lived most of his life in Tennessee. Baker began his career in ministry with an evangelistic trip in the very early 1800s, through Kentucky, and into Illinois. We know that he was the pastor of McKendree Methodist Church in Nashville in 1810, and later several other churches in Tennessee.
I believe it was because of my Aunt Carey’s prayers that I and my son, Clark, came to know Jesus as our Savior. I believe it is also because of her prayers, that we have both heard God’s call to preach His Word. Do what you can do this year. Pray! Pray for yourself as Jabez did, but also pray for your family, - pray for those around you, pray for God’s missionaries, pray for the leaders of the countries across this world, and pray for the lost to be saved. Pray, pray, pray, pray and pray some more. Pray more than you ever have before, because this is something that you can do, and it will make an eternal difference!
II. Now I want us to consider another thing that you can do even though it seems to be an unpopular thing to do. I think that we need to remember that just because we don’t personally like to do something, that does not mean that it isn’t God’s will for you to do it. What am I talking about? I’m talking about witnessing. Jesus says in John 4, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors (John 4:34-38).”
And in Matthew 9 we are told this about Jesus, “…when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest (Matthew 9:36-38).”
At OpenAirOutreach dot com there is a forum and the question is asked “Do people read tracts? (as in gospel tracts).” Here are a few of the responses:
One man shared: “Over 13 years ago, the Lord was dealing with my heart to repent from my sins and surrender to HIM. A man walked into my place of business, purchased a couple of items then walked out. He purchased his few items, walked out, then a couple of minutes came back in. He handed me a couple of tracts. He said this was something I could read. I saw he was a little nervous doing this. I said thank you and he walked out. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was the work of GOD. That was just one of GOD’s loving ways to reach to me. It was not two weeks later I came to know CHRIST as my SAVIOR.”
Another man shared this: “I have handed tracts to waitresses and people at counters at stores, and when I went back to check and ask them what they thought about them, many have said they gave their lives to Christ. I was at a homeschoolers convention and there was a lady working a cash register at a snack shop. I gave her a tract and told her I would come back later and check on her. I walked away and prayed for her. Finally I saw her reading it during a break and bowing her head as she got near the end. I went over as she wiped the tears from her eyes to welcome her as my new sister in Christ.”
Another shared: “Elsa was invited to an evangelical church with a schoolmate. She went, doesn’t remember a word that was said, but noticed a display board that had all kinds of tracts for the taking in the foyer. She took one, and kept it. A couple of months later she was having a hard time. Remembers she still has this tract she picked up at the church, read it, and surrendered her life to Jesus.”
This was also shared: “A man was handed a tract by an evangelical on mainland Mexico. We just met him today, in fact. He still hangs onto this tract, dog-eared as it is, and wants to learn more. My husband, and I are taking him a Bible in Spanish tomorrow.”
Everyone of us can be a witness for the Lord if we will just do it. We can give gospel tracts to people. And, we can leave gospel tracts in a multitude of places. In distributing gospel tracts we become sowers of the Word of God. Someone else will reap the harvest, but we have just as much a part of what happens as the harvester does. Gospel tracts are inexpensive. You can do a search on the Internet for “printable gospel tracts” and find one that you like.
Being a witness for the Lord is something that you can do. Distributing gospel tracts is something that you can do. This year, commit yourself to do what you can do by distributing gospel tracts, sowing the Word of God.
III. Now, let’s consider something else that we can all do for the Kingdom of God - Living like a Christian ought to live.
In Matthew 25, Jesus says this, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me (Matthew 25:34-40).’”
And in Galatians 5 we are told, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5:22-26).”
Near Tecumseh, Oklahoma, Garrison Reneaux has lost all that he had. He lived in a small travel trailer with his dogs. There was no running water or electricity, but there was heat from a butane heater. It is thought the heater was what caused the fire that destroyed Reneaux’ home. Neighbors, and a local church are helping him with temporary shelter, and other aid.
In another story from Oklahoma a family also lost their home in a fire. However, someone has anonymously given the family $1000.00 to help them move forward from the disaster they have experienced.
A few years ago we were caring for a foster child with neuroblastoma. Many of you remember Malachi. He was only about seven years old, and had been through so much. One morning we had to be at Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City one morning at 8:00 a.m. for a procedure. I was surprised, when I dropped him and Jeanie off, and as I went to park our car to see Oklahoma University head football coach, Bob Stoops, unloading a box from his SUV.
While we were there at the hospital the coach visited with the children for several hours giving away hats, footballs, and other OU memorabilia. As the coach left I thanked him, and he simply said, “No problem.” What the coach did that day meant a lot to those kids, and it is appreciated.
The truth is that we can all extend a helping hand to those around us in one way or another. It may be a gift of money to someone in need. It could be a drink of cold water, or a little bit of food to someone who has very little. It could be the giving of some clothes, or visiting someone in a hospital, or nursing home, or in jail, or prison. It may be only a kind word of encouragement, to someone that is hurting.
You can do what you can do this year by exercising, living, practicing the “fruit of the Spirit.” You can, instead of being mean spirited, hard hearted and stingy…you can be loving, kind, gentle, and good toward all that cross your path this year. Surely, that is what your Lord Jesus would have you to do.
IV. CONCLUSION - You can make a difference this year for the Kingdom of God.
Do what you can do. Pray.
Do what you can do. Witness.
Do what you can do. Live like a Christian.
Do what you can do, and add in what God can do, and mountains will move before your path this year.
Do what you can do this year through His power, and for His glory!
