Unselfishly Volunteering
Most of the time I am afraid we want to do what we want to do and to go where we think would be the best for us. It takes a special believer to do what God sends him or her to do and to go where He sends. This is because our flesh, our human nature, can be very selfish. Once we become a Christian, we should put aside the flesh with its desires and cooperate with God by following the Holy Spirit. In the beginning that is hard to do. However, when we mature in the Lord, we realize that God's way for us is better than anything we could ask for or even think to ask for. When we get to that point, we will unselfishly volunteer to go and do what God has set aside for us to do. That is what happened when the exiles returned from Babylon to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and then to rebuild the city itself, which had been completely destroyed by the Babylonians some 70+ years earlier. Most of the people who returned wanted to go back to the property of their family in the town where they had lived before. No one really desired to live in Jerusalem and to have to build it up from scratch. (Nehemiah 11:2) However, some of the men volunteered to live in Jerusalem. When they showed that unselfish willingness to do what needed to be done for the work of the Lord, the people blessed them or praised them. They realized their unselfish sacrifice was worthy of praise. We need to see more of this today.
What if God called you to live in a foreign country to be a missionary or a witness for Jesus? Would you be willing to do that? Many of us would balk at that move, because it would be uncomfortable. We might have to put in a lot of time and effort learning a new language. The culture would be much different from how we grew up and what we enjoy. However, God does call people to do just that, and many believers volunteer unselfishly to go. Of course, it doesn't have to be going to another country. It could be going across town or across the street to engage in gospel conversations with people who are much different from us. When God calls us to to go , we have to change our schedule, and get out of our comfort zone. The flesh doesn't want to make that change, but it is a glorious way to live. The Lord will bless us for it, and other people will bless us when they see our unselfish volunteering. In fact, they will truly rejoice when they see the Lord work through us to bring others to Jesus. It will be a great encouragement to them to be unselfish volunteers as well. Let's be willing to forsake the flesh and follow the Lord wherever He leads, and then see what happens.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Nehemiah 12-13 and Esther 1.