You are our hope, our joy, and the crown we will take
pride in when our Lord Jesus Christ comes (NCV, 1 Thessalonians 2:19).
As the year winds down and Christmas approaches, I’m
catching visions of people from my past... people who have made a difference in
my life, and some for whom (hopefully) I’ve made a difference in theirs.
I think about Evelyn Musolff, who was my Sunday School
teacher when I was eight. I’ll never forget her. Or Larry Best, another Sunday
School teacher when I was a pre-teen. I remember him taking me and a friend
trout fishing on opening day. Both Evelyn and Larry passed away in just the
last few months. I think of Beverly Kerstetter, my piano teacher, who confessed
to me years later that every week as I played, she sat next to me praying that
God would use my music for his kingdom. And of course there was my mom and dad.
From my mom I learned a subtle lesson of how to persevere when things aren’t
going my way, and in a more overt way my dad was the greatest spiritual
influence in my life.
This Thessalonians passage reminds me that bank accounts,
fancy cars, media broadcasts and publishing deals are not how I measure my
impact as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When I stand before God, my
reward will be Christ, and the changed lives of those connected to him because
I was available and there for them when they needed me.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Thank God for those whose
ministries have touched your life. How will you now positively impact others
with the good news of Jesus Christ?
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