Years ago a fire destroyed a large warehouse that contained many tons of ice. Although it had tens of thousands of gallons of water available to extinguish the fire, they could not be used. The ice was in "cold storage" and could not be reached. The building burned to the ground even though it was full of "frozen assets."

God has given each one of us unique gifts and talents, skills and abilities to do His work in His world. We all are as different as our fingerprints and designed to do things that honor Him. Too often we imagine that what He would have us to do is beyond our capabilities.

We tend to see problems and issues that would require massive amounts of money or large numbers of people to bring change. We look beyond the immediate to the distant and find excuses not to do the things at hand.

If you recall the beginning of the earthly ministry of Jesus, He invited ordinary men to join Him in His work. They had no special training but they did have a special commitment. We read that "they spent time with Jesus." They put aside their personal interests and began to see life through His eyes. He taught them to see the spiritual needs of others and how to meet those needs.

If we are willing to spend time with Jesus and follow Him closely, listen to Him carefully and pray to Him sincerely, we will be able to do the same.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to always be alert for opportunities to tell others of Your love and salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture: Matthew 4:19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.

While cutting his grass, a man’s mower stopped running. He took it to be repaired. When he returned to get it, he asked the repairman for the bill. He was told, “Forget it. It was such a small thing to fix, that it’s free.”

But the man insisted on paying, taking some money from his pocket and presenting it to the man.

“Sir,” replied the mechanic, “I’m a Christian, and every now and then I do something to stretch my soul.”

John wrote about that when he said, “If anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother in need and refuses to help – how can God’s love be in that person?”

When Christ comes in, His love goes out. All around us are people who have needs for the necessities of life. Everywhere we look people have burdens to bear, problems to solve, decisions to make, hearts to heal and sicknesses to survive.

When we see the needs of others and do something about them, we stretch our souls and show His love. We need to stretch our souls every day.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, open our eyes that we may see what Your eyes see, and then move in our hearts to help others even as You did. In Christ’s Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 1 John 3:14-24