Lent Devotional – Use Me

READ: Parable of the Talents – Matthew 25:14-30

Prayer of Jabez – Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”

 ~ 1 Chronicles 4:10 (NASB)

“Business or pleasure?” That’s the question I asked the person sitting next to me on the plane. Neither.” That was his answer. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I retreated to my electronics and stared out the window as the plane climbed into the sky on our way to LA. It was my first business trip after my Emmaus Walk and I knew traveling was going to be different. I could tell the man was hurting, so I tried to talk with him again. He opened up and said that he had just returned from seeing his daughter graduate high school, but he was coming back because she had a serious car accident. Now I was going to be on the flight with him for the next 3 hours. I once again retreated, but now I was searching for the words. I looked in a small book of prayers and out the window for inspiration and prayed how could God use me to help this man.

I pulled out a Seinfeld DVD to watch while watching him. After some time I felt a prompt to act, so I took off my headphones and asked him if he wanted to watch a show. At first, he was hesitant but then accepted. I gave him my laptop and earbuds and watched in horror as the Seinfeld episode came on – it was the one where George thinks he had a heart attack and ends up in the hospital. I thought – really of all the episodes it had to be this one. But as he watched it I saw him start to relax, then crack a smile and laugh. He finished the episode and started to hand my laptop back to me. I told him it was OK if he wanted to watch more, but he politely declined and we started talking. He told me about his daughter and how his family was devastated by the accident. We talked the rest of the flight. As the plane was pulling up to the gate, I asked him if I could say a prayer for him. He said he would appreciate that. So we prayed, then I watched him meet his family and they all surrounded him.

As I headed onto my business purpose for the trip, I realized that God answered my prayer and used me and that Seinfeld video to help the man let go so he could be the rock for his family.

Since that trip 18 years ago, every trip has had a bigger purpose than the business or pleasure reason for the trip. Sometimes it’s in the airport, other times on the plane, and as I started to be more open about my faith with the people I worked with, they started sharing with me. We would pray together at meals, share joys and concerns.

Risky Faith?

A riskier place to share your faith is at the office. By just simply wearing a cross, I noticed others wearing a cross and we got to know each other, greet each other, and pray for each other and I started a prayer circle group that continued to grow. Sometimes people would stop by my office when they wanted to talk about a concern. They knew that I would pray for them and if they wanted, I could ask others to privately pray.

My job as a corporate environmental manager has taken me to places all over the country and beyond to Mexico, Canada, Brazil and virtually to Europe and India. My current job as an environmental consultant has a smaller territory but has me working with multiple types of manufacturing and military mostly in Texas. I realized that if I let my mission be God’s mission and prayed for Him to guide me and lead me and followed His direction, He would use me as I did my work wherever I am.

I believe that God wants us to have JOY in life, and that includes the work that we do! After sharing a faith discussion with a plant manager several years ago, he recommended a book called JOY at Work (A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job) by Dennis Bakke. When I landed, I stopped by the bookstore on the way home and picked up a copy. When I opened the book, it was an author-signed copy! There was also a hand-written note on the title page that said:

“Enter into the Master’s JOY!” – Dennis Bakke

I believe that if you don’t find JOY in the work you do, where you do it, or who with, then you may not be in the right job, place or team.

Lent is a time for reflection about where God is leading us to examine ourselves closer and to take action. So prayerfully consider sharing your faith at your place of work if you have not done so and see where it takes you. No matter how big your company is, it is a small world in His world.

PRAYER

Here are two prayers. One I’m sure you know. If you’re new to prayer as I was before coming to Creekwood, then the second prayer may be something to try during Lent.

Maybe you’ve heard this, but if you start to say the Lord’s Prayer as the engines rev up during take-off you finish the prayer as the plane leaves the ground and ascends into the sky away from the land.

Our Father, who art in Heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever.

SELF Prayer – Can be prayed for a couple of minutes or longer depending on the time you have and what you have on your heart.

Surrender: I surrender myself to You.

Empty: Empty me of my sins of _______.

Lift: I lift up _______.

Fill: Fill me (family, house, workplace etc.) with Your Holy Spirit.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY – How can God use me in my work?

When I sing, I ask God to use me as His instrument. The same applies to work.

If we ask God to use us as His instrument to serve others, then amazing things will happen, and we can say:

Mission Accomplished! Ready for the next one!!

Until that day that we hear Him say: “Well done, my faithful servant. Enter the Masters JOY!”

LIV4HIM!!!

Steve Bachellor

Senior Environmental Consulantant

Thrival Company

The Lord is my STRENGTH, and my SONG and has become my SALVATION.

Exodus 15:2 / Psalms 118:4 / Isaiah 12:2