To Best Serve the Lord

I wanted to share an encouraging note I received from one of my devotional readers; she is somewhat new to our group (now numbering 212). Tara wrote in response to my taking a devotional hiatus, and I publish this somewhat unwillingly because I do not want to draw attention to myself, but I felt a strong urging from the Lord to share this with you.

This dear sister-in-Christ so clearly addresses what we all struggle with; how to best serve the Lord. Here is her response:

    Dave,

    Though I understand the need for the break, I do want to let you know that you will be missed! How wonderful to have the divine inspiration to continue your work.

    I first found your blog on 4 July of this year, and there have been many, many days that I knew I needed to write to you to share with you how powerful your devotions are. When I wrote to you on that first day, I mentioned we were in the midst of PCSing to Misawa, Japan (my husband is Active Duty USAF). Over the following two weeks, as we readied to fly to Japan, each and every devotion that we received from you were spot on with our sentiments and conditions. Literally as we were making the last drive down to Charleston, SC to begin our series of flights, we received your devotion, Trusting God: His Providence is Solid, which was such divine timing as I read it to my husband following our talk about the incredible changes we were about to face.

    From there, once we arrived in Japan, our transition continued to be extremely bumpy as we endured many tribulations connected with our move (we knew during the pack out it was going to be tough, but were not prepared for just how rough it would be). I won’t go into incredible detail, but let’s just say that we learned an incredible lesson on materialism as we dealt with losing a great many irreplaceable items and massive damage). It was initially painful, but in careful, prayerful consideration I came to appreciate the Lord’s lesson and what truly mattered. I also drew on many quick friendships that I began forming in the church. A few weeks later I was able to join our base chapel’s Protestant Women of the Chapel Bible study. This is the first time as an adult that I have had the time and ability to pursue a weekly bible study- and it has had an incredible impact. The ladies that I met in my group are the most genuine and true friends that I have met in many years. I had an unquenchable thirst to learn as much as I could from our studies in 1Timothy and from the ladies in my group. I was known as the historian of the group as each week I brought with my many pages of my background notes on our weekly passage. (a quick note- the week you sent out a devotion on modesty, motives, and women in the church, we had just that day read in 1Timothy regarding women in the church and their motives and discussed that exact topic- with a rather lively debate!) I shared your devotion with my group the following week.

    At the same time in dealing with our move, I was grappling with an internal struggle over my purpose. This restlessness has been ongoing since last January and it has left me questioning what exactly I need to be doing to best serve the Lord. I teach full time, history and military history, for AMU, and I love teaching and working with military students, but at the same time I still felt there was more that the Lord is willing me to do. I just finished my vacation in November, reading all that I could get my hands on. Of course with my studies in 1Timothy I have focused a lot on Paul, and then I have been reading War and Remembrance and opened a floodgate of questions about Herman Wouk as I realized how prolific a writer he has been (including his recent publication in November). I am reading This is my God as a means of learning more about the Jewish faith-so to better understand Israel and the current conflicts (it is all so incredible how it all ties together).

    Also during this time, late summer and early fall, my husband and I were watching the presidential race with trepidation. This was what initially drew me to your blog- searching for answers and a better understanding of how the U.S. might find a way back to the roots that our nation’s forefathers’ intended. A few weeks before the election you sent out a devotion that put so much in perspective for me. You noted that while the future of our country is important, what we as Christians need to be even more concerned about is winning others to Christ. This was a source of both comfort and reassurance for me as I struggled to make sense of the changing shape and scope of the U.S.
    In the days after the election, I think I forwarded each of your devotions to my mother-in-law who truly had a time dealing with the outcome. She and her husband appreciated your words of encouragement and insight.

    I won’t take too much more of your time, but I felt I needed to pass on my thanks to you for your wise, timely, and profound devotions- the Lord is using you in incredible ways, and you are touching souls all around the world. My appreciation to you for your service to the Lord, and my very best to you in your endeavors over the upcoming weeks!

    God Bless,

    Tara

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2012 David Jeffers

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