“And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”” Mark 12:30-31 (NLT)

We Can Use What We Have To Serve Others

I mentioned previously in the post about taking steps of incremental obedience (as opposed to “leaps of faith”) that I was reading the devotional plan “How to Neighbor” by Pastor Craig Groeschel from Life.Church on the YouVersion Bible app.  I started the plan because it goes along nicely with my current studies of serving others. One of the things I’m learning is that some of the steps we need to take in serving others is to use what we have at our disposal. We don’t need to wait until we have what we THINK we need.  We first need to step out and start serving where we can. 

Don’t wait until you have what you think you need–Step out & start serving others now.

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My church is preparing for “Love Day” which is part of a National Serve Day in which over 275 churches across the globe are taking part.  As part of our preparation my church small group is reading through and doing a study on Dino Rizzo’s book, Servolution.  So far it’s a great book and an easy read with excellent anecdotal stories!  It really will get you excited about following Jesus’ example and instructions of serving others, as does the “How to Neighbor” plan and sermon series.  Both give some really good, practical ideas for serving.  You know me…I love practical steps! 😉 I’ve already stepped out and tried a few of the ideas myself!

Use what we have in order to serve…like the Good Samaritan

In part of our study of the book, we read through the story of the Good Samaritan. Here’s the story…

“Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

“By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”” Luke 10:30-37 (NLT)

Olive Oil and Wine

During our small group study we were talking about how we can “live our serve”.  One of our discussion questions asked how the Good Samaritan lived out his serve.  We all had different perspectives.  That’s one of the things I love so much about learning with others–I get so much more from seeing others’ points of view. Praise God for diversity! We are all different, beautiful parts of the body, we all have something valuable to offer, and we can all learn from each other.

What stood out to me about how he lived out his serve was that he used olive oil and wine to clean and mend the Jewish man’s wounds. He didn’t use medicine because he didn’t have any.  He used what he had at the time.  It may not have been ideal, but it served its purpose and got the job done!  The olive oil would have softened and eased the pain of the wounds, and the alcohol content in the wine would have killed any germs and bacteria to prevent infection.

“Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him” Luke 10:34 (NLT)

A Biblical example to use what we have: Jesus

Similarly, there are a few more examples in the Bible of how to use what we have to serve others. In fact in these examples, they are flat-out asked, “What do you have?” In two separate stories (Mark 6:30-44 and Mark 8:1-10), Jesus has compassion on a multitude of hungry people, and he tells his disciples to feed them. The disciples reply that there is no possible way to feed that many people. Jesus then asks what they have and basically says “Let’s use what we have.” He takes what they already have on hand, multiplies it, and feeds thousands of people with food to spare!

“”How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”” Mark 6:38 (NLT)

“Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” “Seven loaves,” they replied.” Mark 8:5 (NLT)

Another Biblical example to use what we have: Elijah and Elisha and the widows

Both Elijah and Elisha helped widows by asking them to use what they had at their disposal (1 Kings 17:10-16 and 2 Kings 4:1-7). They took what they already had in their possession and surrendered it to God. Because of this, they were able to see miracles, and God saved their lives through their acts of service and obedience.

““As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.” Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son.” 1 Kings 17:12-13

““What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?”” 2 Kings 4:2 (NLT)

Yet another Biblical example to use what we have: Moses

Moses also experienced lack even to the point of consistently arguing with God about his deficiencies. After each of Moses’ protests, God showed Moses what he already had on hand that God planned to use. When Moses finally obeyed God’s instructions, God used what he had to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt.

“Then the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied.” Exodus 4:2 (NLT)

Not-so-biblical examples to use what we have: Project Runway, MacGyver and Royal Pains

This “use what we have” concept makes me think of some of the crazy and funny things I see on TV as well. Take for example the unconventional challenges on Project Runway. I’ve seen them have to make a dress out of some pretty crazy items…candy, greeting cards, and even hardware store items! Believe it or not, a lot of them turn out pretty amazing too!

Some of you may not remember the show MacGyver. I always loved sitting down with my parents to watch this as a kid. He was like a scientific magician! A synopsis of the show describes MacGyver this way: “Drawing on a vast practical knowledge of science, MacGyver is able to make use of any mundane materials around him to create unorthodox solutions to any problem he faces.” He was a master of using what he had around him at the time.

More recently, I’ve enjoyed the show Royal Pains, where doctor Hank Lawson uses similar medical MacGyver-like methods to help his patients. He used some pretty unusual (and probably unrealistic) approaches to treat people. It’s been quite entertaining! Hank was yet another expert of making use of what was already available to him.

We don’t use what we have because we discount it… or we don’t know what we have

Too often we discount what we have. We count ourselves out of either helping or making a difference because we think, “I don’t have the necessary _____.  What’s the point of even trying?  I’m not going to do any good.” I think this is such a lie and weapon of the enemy. He creeps right into our insecurities.

What we have may seem weak and insufficient but, with God it’s enough. With God’s grace added to it, it’s powerful, and Christ can work through it. God can work through each of us if we step out and start to use what we have!

“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT) 

What we have may seem weak and insufficient, but with God it’s enough. #usewhatyouhave

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We might also hesitate to use what we have to serve others because we aren’t even aware of what we have. God has placed gifts inside of us that are meant not only to prosper us but to benefit of others as well. We are more important than we realize sometimes. God wants us to use what we have, such as our gifts, to serve others and to point people back to Him.

We may not know what ALL of our gifts are right now, but even if we are still discovering them, in the meantime we can go ahead and start serving anyway. We need to use what we have. We need to use our “olive oil and wine”! 

Take Some Practical Steps to Use What You Have—YOUR Olive Oil and Wine:

• First, take inventory of what you have. What is your olive oil and wine? If you don’t know what that is, ask God! He’ll show you like he did for Moses. Don’t think about what you’re missing. Instead, focus on trying to use what you have in your hands already. Then partner with God to multiply what you have to serve others.

Pray: “Lord, I don’t have much but I do have this _____.” Or “Lord, please show me what I already have in my possession so that I can use what I have to serve others.” Then add, “Lord, use what I have! Please take the little I have to offer and multiply it to greatly bless those I serve. Help my little _____ to make a big impact!”

• Next, answer this question: What/Where is the nearest place I can start? Surprisingly, you don’t have to go on a mission trip. Sometimes, it might take starting right in your own home. Maybe it takes just walking across the street. It might be that you could step out and serve the “needy” where you work. Can you start volunteering at your church? What about local outreaches that interest you? Where can you start serving others RIGHT NOW with WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE? And guess what? If you’re not sure…Yep, you got it—Ask God! You knew I was going to say that didn’t you! 😉

Pray: “Lord, where can I start with what I already have? Give me an idea. Show me a step that I can take to start serving right now. Show me a need that I can meet with my ‘olive oil and wine’.” 

Where can you start serving others RIGHT NOW with WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE? #usewhatyouhave

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• Then, take the first step to do what you can, with what you have, for the people in front of you. Now that you know what your olive oil and wine are, and you know where you can start, take that step and start serving! Again, it doesn’t have to be something big. It doesn’t have to be ideal—the olive oil and wine weren’t ideal. Take a tip from Nike—Just Do It! 🙂
• Above all remember—What you’ve done for your neighbor, you’ve done for Jesus, himself. Your service is no small thing. Jesus says as much.

““Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” Matthew 25:37-40 (NLT)

• Lastly, consider doing something special this upcoming Love Day/ Serve Day (July 16, 2016). Imagine the spiritual forces that will be at work as a result of so many stepping out on the same day and showing God’s love! What a kick in the gut to Satan that will be! See if your church, other churches, or local outreaches are doing anything that day where you can participate. If not, do something on your own. For example, you could do any of the following.  Take some bottles of water to hand out at a local park. Visit some kids in the hospital or the elderly at a local nursing home. Show some love to your local emergency responders (Police, Fire Department, etc.). Make some snack bags for the homeless. Pick up trash in your community. Bring a widow some flowers. Write a thank you letter to someone serving in the military. There are hundreds of things you could do. Get creative. Or… 😉 Ask God!

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35 (NLT) 

Love One Another. #usewhatyouhave #oliveoil&wine

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What ideas do you have about how we can use what we have to serve others? Do you have any ideas for Love Day? Leave a comment below.

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