Devotionals for the Heart: When God helps you use what's in your hand

What’s In Your Hand?
A devotional by Kerry Sue Teravskis

Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

—Exodus 4:2 (NIV)

We carry many things in our hands. Keys. Food. Backpack. A loved one’s hand. Money. A tool. And many of these things are quite useful throughout our day.

If you are a chef, then a sharp knife is essential. If you are a dog trainer, then a leash along with dog treats is in order. If you are a mommy, then your empty hands are needed to help, guide, carry and comfort a child.

What we carry in our hands can be used by God, if we let Him. Moses had just been called by God to go to Pharoah to bring His people, the Israelites, out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10). Moses had met God via a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6). It was then when Moses received a call from God and the instructions of what his life would look like from here on out. But he had some questions for God first.

Moses asked God for a sign—multiple ones, even though he had just had the burning bush experience in which God’s voice was heard from a fire-engulfed bush that was not consumed by the fire. Perhaps Moses was afraid to step out into the wide unknown. Maybe that is why he asked God for a sign. God answered Moses by telling him to look at his hand then gave him the sign he needed. Has this ever happened to you? You feel a nudging from God to do something new to you and you do not know where to begin. Maybe you have many different hobbies, interests, and likes, but they don’t necessarily go together except at a salad bar.

This does not matter to God. He takes all things and uses them for His glory. Even our experiences from the past such as the pain, the betrayal, the unforgiveness, and the secret parts of our lives we don’t share because they are too private. God can use it all to transform us and inspire others to know Him on a personal level.

God is a creative God. His creativity is displayed around is in His creation. Animals like the wildebeest, a zebra, a giraffe, a monkey or a hippo are unique in appearance. I saw all these animals on a recent trip to a safari park in East Africa. On that safari, I saw how creative God is in the colors and patterns He chose to incorporate in animals. He was creative because it was in His hand to be creative. It is God’s nature and we are the ones who benefit from the works of His hands.

Before this trip to a safari, God used what was in my hand in a very unexpected way. My husband and I were going to Tanzania for him to teach at a Bible college and I had different teaching type things I was going to do. I had a lot of free time after I completed my assignment. The missionaries we were working with asked me if I had any hobbies or interests. I replied yes and mentioned my passion for sewing garments. And I have a passion for helping women sew garments for themselves, their families, and as a business.

She asked if I could hold a day-long seminar to demonstrate making products for themselves. I began drafting patterns, getting them in Swahili and praying about this day. When we arrived in Tanzania a month ago, that one day seminar turned into a sewing clinic at the training center of the mission. It was going to be a month-long clinic where students lived at the center, learned how to use a treadle sewing machine, learn a skill, how to manage a small business and a budget, and learn more about Jesus Christ.

What I do for personal interest for myself and others (and mine is not a business), became used by God for others to make a living for themselves and their families.

When I saw the training center for the first time getting painted and ready for the 11 students, plus the 15 new treadle machines (electricity is not that reliable), I was overcome. God was using what was in my hand. I thought I was going to teach one small class in something I consider a hobby, where God was using it to reach more for His glory and His work.

I did not ask God for a sign, rather He gave me a powerful lesson on obedience. We went out of obedience to Tanzania. We do not go for the ‘adventure’, nor did we go because we had not been to Africa before. We went because God called us to go. We went because He had something for us to do. We went because of obedience and love. And we received way more than we gave.

Let’s Pray: Father, I have stuff in my hands, but I am not sure if it can be useful for You and I want to glorify and honor You with what I have in my hands. Show me Lord what it is You want me to give to You. I don’t necessarily need a sign, rather a direction on how to use what You have given me for Your kingdom purposes. I lay (fill in the blank) at Your feet, for Your use. And I do it willingly. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

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Song of Reflection #1: “Available to You” (ft. J Moss) by Melinda Watts. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Out of My Hands” by Jeremy Camp. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “Use Me” by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

As a wife and Marmee to three adult children—two of whom are married—and a new grandson, Kerry Sue’s life is very full. She met her husband in college and served on the mission field with him for a few years before settling down back in the States to raise their family. 

Kerry Sue’s family was a homeschooling family for 20 years and they enjoyed it immensely. For the last 26 years they have lived on a small farm in Northern California where they have raised many farm animals, along with growing and preserving their food. Kerry Sue’s family farm has been a great source of enjoyment and a place to host many family gatherings. She maintains an open-door policy for dear friends—old and new.

Following and serving Jesus Christ is an integral part of Kerry Sue’s life as well as her family’s. Whether it’s singing in the church choir, teaching children or leading and lecturing at a women’s Bible study, Kerry Sue loves to demonstrate her love for Jesus by giving to Him in service. She’s been a blogger for more than 10 years, a Bible study writer for six years, and a devotional writer for more than four years.

Kerry Sue feels led to write about finding God’s Sovereignty in our suffering because of her own journey of more than five years with broken feet. She hopes to to encourage others with her faith walk and real-life stories.

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Connect with Kerry:
Blog: https://www.sovereignblog.com/home
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerry.teravskis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ksteravskis/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sovereignblog

Devotionals for the Heart: How a dog inspired a life lesson about love

Hands of Love
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

Ronny was a small, black dog, his eyes crusted over with sleep and his nose a mess from doing whatever dogs like to do in the dirt. I could tell he was a puppy by his size, but he wasn’t terribly young, just young enough to be filled with excitement about life—and wary of strange people.

I was there to work on his owner’s house for a week, along with a team of other mission volunteers, providing him with a new roof and some other fixes, and his owner was training him to be an outdoor dog. We called him Ronny, even though we didn’t know his name, and he spent his days under a shade tree hanging out in an old utility trailer, tied up on a leash and watching us with extremely cautious eyes.

But he was so adorable, and I couldn’t help myself. On roofing breaks, I’d find myself walking in the back to check on Ronny. I watched from a distance at first, and he’d always scurry out, curious, then run like mad back to his hiding place.

One morning I approached him slowly, slipping my work gloves off and gently holding my hands out for him to inspect. He took a look at my hands and hightailed it for the shadows. I’m not sure what he thought I was going to do with my hands, but he was scared, and I didn’t push it. A few hours later, I checked on him again. And again, Ronny ventured out to look at my hands, then retreated. But this time I spoke sweetly to him, and I tiptoed closer, and he nervously approached me once more. At first, Ronny started to pull back, but I reached out and petted him. He liked it, but then he skittered away, and I went back to my work. We repeated the same little dance twice more that day.

The next day, I expected the same.

“Hey, sweet boy,” I called over to him, slipping off my work gloves and approaching softly.

But this time when I held my hands out to him, Ronny knew what was coming. And this time he didn’t dart back or even flinch. This time he let me pet him right away.

By the end of the week, he was licking my legs and cuddling with me. We were pals, Ronny and I, and I miss him!

As our trip progressed, it got me thinking about hands and how we use them. We can use them to hurt, to push down and oppress. We can use them to point fingers, judgmental and accusatory.

Or we can use them to shake someone’s hand and give them a hug—or, as in Ronny’s case, scratch them behind the ears. We can use them to show love.

We can also use them to help in other ways, cooking a meal for someone, or holding a hammer like I did all that week, nailing shingles to a rotted-out roof so someone else has better shelter.

We can use our hands to reflect Jesus Christ, or we can choose not to.

As a follower of Christ, I want every aspect of my life to reflect Jesus. That means my thoughts, my words, and my hands and feet. That’s one of the things people who do mission work say a lot: that we want to be “the hands and feet of Christ.” But that’s not just about mission work. There are so many ways we can be the hands and feet of Christ.

Think about your own hands today. If you have use of them, how are you able to use them? Are you able to write a letter or hold out your palm in fellowship to a brother or sister, even one who doesn’t seem a lot like you on the surface?

If your hands don’t work, what else can you do? Can you use your heart, your mind, your prayers, anything else at your disposal?

Ronny very quickly understood the difference between hands that want to hurt and hands that want to help. We understand the same.

May we always do what we can to help and love others in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior—our way, our truth, and our life.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:9-13 NIV).

“Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 30:9-10 NIV).

Let’s Pray: Lord, help me model and reflect You in the world, whether that is through kindness or physical labor. Help me to shine Your light in the darkness now and forever. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “If We Are The Body” by Casting Crowns. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a weekly YouTube devotional and podcast. 

You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.