Aloha
Dearest Family,
I learned a phrase when I was young, ”God does not make junk.”
And it really is true. Just look at Psalm 139:14,
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
In truth, with God, no life is “ordinary”. No believer is without purpose.
Sadly far too many of God’s people feel insignificant. Far too many feel small
and unimportant. But thankfully God does not hold this opinion. He never
has, He never will. We are always in God’s thoughts. In fact God thinks of
us much more than we ever think about Him.
“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand…” (Psalm 139:17 and 18)(Amplified Bible)
If God Almighty thinks
about us this much, do you think that He might have significant plans for our
lives as well? God wants to make your “ordinary” life extraordinary.
It’s
interesting how many ordinary people God has called throughout the centuries:
Gideon-The
youngest of a poor family in the half-tribe of Manassa-he was called by God
to win a great military victory over the massive Midianite army and
free Israel
David-The
youngest of seven brothers and keeper of the family’s sheep-he was
anointed to be the next king of Israel- slew a lion, a bear and a 9 foot giant
of a man with a sling and a stone and went on to become the greatest king in
history.
Jeremiah-
son of Hilkiah, a Judean priest-was called to be a prophet of God-called to
prophecy to Judah and Jerusalem
Mary-
a young girl from the tiny village of Nazareth-chosen to give birth and raise
the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
What made these seemingly ordinary individuals special? It was their trust in
God and their willingness to obey Him. If you have a willing heart, God can
work with you. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how strong you are or how
smart you are. These attributes may matter to us, but God does not see things
the way we do.
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature…for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7) Heart is what matters to God.
Each believer has God’s holy spirit dwelling within them. This means that each
one has the capability to do great things for God. Each of us has our own
“gifts” and ways of serving that are unique to us and you’ll find no two are
alike. There are no “generic Christians.” All of God’s greatest champions had
one thing in common. They all recognized that they were not alone in their
endeavor. They all knew that It was God who was working with them energizing
them and encouraging them. They knew their strength was God’s strength.
“For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)
This verse holds the key to success. This is the reason why men like
Moses, Joshua and Samson were able to accomplish impossible feats. And this is
why we as God’s children can do the same. Let’s look at a couple.
Fanny
Crosby – Although being blind by the age of six weeks old, she learned
a love of the scriptures. Being raised by her mother and grandmother, she was
taught to memorize large portions of God’s Word. She could quote the entire
book of Proverbs and all Gospels by heart. She became notable for her poetry
but especially for her hymns. By the time of her death, she had composed over
1,000 poems and over 9,000 hymns. Before writing a hymn she would always pray
and ask God for the hymn to reach people for Christ and she kept a notebook of
people who were saved because of her hymns. Among her hymns are “Blessed
Assurance” and “To God Be The Glory.” She is considered the most prolific
hymnist in history.
Grandmaster
Coker – James Coker is a 9th degree in Taekwondo. He
also holds grade certificates from the Korean Ji Kwan Association, Ko Am Mu Do
Federation and Kukkiwon. He began his maritial arts training in 1967 and
continued to compete through his active duty service in the Marine Corps
(1968-1975). He continued competing until 1983. At that time Grandmaster Coker
focused his attention on using Olympic Taekwondo as a tool for ministry and
personal development for those not able to afford Olympic training. His Yesha’
Taewondo ministry is designed to be an outreach of the local church as well as
a community development organization with Christ at the center of the program.
Grandmaster’s Yesha’ ministry is the largest non-profit Olympic sanctioned
Taekwondo organization in Florida and also has
locations in South Carolina , Tennessee
and Maryland
These individuals were just ordinary people like you
and me, but because they had a heart to serve, God was able to inspire them to
use their talents to help people. I think back to a phrase I learned many years
ago, “Born to live-born again to serve.” God is calling each of us to use our
gifts to serve one another, “Each of you should use
whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's
grace in its various forms.” (I Peter 4:10)(NIV). When we have a heart to serve, God can cause our
lives to be extraordinary.
Love Always, Ray
A very wise and holy man once
said “If you live one day for God, you are worth more to God than all of the
unbelievers who have ever lived.”
(On 29 April
2017, Grandmaster Coker officiated the marriage of my son Max and his wife
Rose.)
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