Yesterday I talked about being useful, and asked you this question: How can we be useful to Jesus as his hands and feet in a hurting world by being proactive about the well-being of others?

Usefulness is the hands and feet of faithfulness.

Sometimes these opportunities to be useful arise through specific initiatives or programs like a prayer ministry, or giving meals to those on the street, or raising awareness about human trafficking.

But sometimes opportunities to be useful to Jesus are simply random.

For example, a friend of mine told me about a video he saw on YouTube. A guy was walking through a parking lot and saw a car with its window open. A laptop was on the front seat. Obviously, there was a risk of it being stolen. So the guy just waited there until the car owner returned. He stood guard, so to speak.

He was being useful. The car owner could have had his laptop stolen (which is expensive), and lose his contacts, files or personal information (which is a nightmare)!

Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” Sometimes a need is predictable, sometimes it’s not.

And sometimes the greatest skill is simply showing up!

Today, be alert. You never know when you can be useful to Jesus by doing something simple to help.

By Matthew Ruttan

–You can watch the sermon today’s devotional is based upon on YouTube here. It’s called “Who stole my purpose?” and is Part 3 in the ‘Contentment’ series. [The audio only is here.] Enjoy!
–Bible quotes are from the NIV.