SERVICE TO OTHERS IS NEVER IN VAIN IN THE LORD
Greetings to everyone, The Sheriff Chaplaincy is honored to serve with you, and we are for you as we face the challenges along this journey together across all of our large County, side by side. We pray that you enjoy this message of how serving God and others will never be in vain.
Within Yellowstone National Park’s 3,472 square miles (8,987 square kilometers) are more than 10,000 geysers and hot springs – 62% of the earth’s total. The geysers of Yellowstone spew forth an incredible volume of water – 75 million gallons of water – every day! Where does all this water come from? From rain and snow that falls within the park and from beyond. The fallen rain and snows trickle down through the ground into the geothermal network that feeds the super-heated water up into the geysers.
But this trickling down of water takes quite a long time – even centuries. In fact, the water that erupts out of the Old Faithful geyser today is from water that fell to the earth about 500 years ago! This amazing “hydrological cycle” has a spiritual parallel. As the water falls to the earth in rain and snow, it seems to be forgotten as it sinks into the ground, only to reappear in a mighty eruption, centuries later. So are the prayers that we pray, the seeds of compassion, love, and the gospel that we sow, and good deeds that we pour forth are entrusted into God’s holy ways, timing, and plan. We may go to our graves wondering if we “watered the earth” in vain. We may feel as though we’ve poured out our lives only to be forgotten. But nothing done for the Lord is ever in vain. We see this clearly in 1 Corinthians 15:58
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
My friends, let us stand firm in our service to others, and in our fervent prayers, and stand firm in the work of the Lord that He called us into. When we do so, we are able to rise to each occasion in Jesus’ strength.
Philippians 4:13 helps us understand that “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”
Psalm 138:3 reveals King David’s heart where he shared “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.”
I remember how my Chaplain Assistant and I, from our 2006-2007 deployment into Ramadi and Fallujah, have had soldiers share with us how they still have something we gave them so many years ago. After all this time (16 years) when many of our Soldiers would say they wanted to show us something, and take out a small piece of paper. It is a humbling joy when we see the Scriptures that we would print and cut into handouts to offer as we would go to the route clearance mission briefings, and at other times as the Holy Spirit led us into. So many times, we offered these handouts after a Solider (or any member of our Task Force) asked us for prayer. One local man who was stationed outside the chow hall selling DVD’s, asked us many questions about our Faith for weeks, and eventually asked how he could have eternal life. These momentary investments into the life of each individual, were watered and used by God in both the moment and for His perfect and everlasting plans to draw people to Himself. Faithfully, as the Lord is, the plans of relationship building, and salvation, and more, are still ongoing to this very day.
The history of the church abounds with stories of mighty moves of God that were fueled by His strength in His people, and by a praying church from centuries before.
The same is true for missionaries who have poured out their life, sowing the seed of the gospel, possibly without ever witnessing the fruit of their labor. Yet decades later this holy seed suddenly bursts forth in a mighty revival.
This same result of strong Faith can truly be happening today in our own backyard as we steadfastly serve the Lord and be bold with strength in our souls. We see an example of this from God’s perspective in Isaiah 55:10-11.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
The Apostle Paul assures us that nothing we do for the sake of the Kingdom of God is ever in vain and that, if we do not lose heart, we shall eventually reap a harvest if we do not give up (take a look at the book of Galatians in Chapter 6, verse 9).
Perhaps we may not completely see it in this life – but we will surely see fully, eyes wide open, it in the life to come. Because God will accomplish what He desires, and perhaps the Lord is desiring to use you to accomplish His holy purposes. Be bold, prayed up, and ready.
PRAYER: Dear Father in heaven, help us to walk by Faith and not by sight. Keep us bold with strength in our soul, and ready to serve You Lord. Help us to Faithfully invest our time and energy into the great cause that will count for all eternity – the cause of serving You and Your kingdom. In The Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. (The Sustainers Faith)
Blessings from Above, Chaplain Robert Kinnune
Chaps,
I came across your number but it has been changed. You have come across my mind a lot over the last 8 years. As my time in the Marines ends I have been reflecting on the good and bad. My time in Iraq with you was definitely a good one. I just wanted you to know that your presence there was truly a blessing. I am thankful for your friendship and fellowship while we were there. I just wanted you to know how much you meant to me and that you are still someone I think of fondly. I hope all is well with you and your family.