Kathy Murphy, Eastside Christian Church- Working Behind the scenes for homeless missions.

by Danny B. Smith, Purple Ark Ministries

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"More of You, less of me"

Ephesians 2

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

As God continues to refine us for His perfect will, we are presented with the mind bending challenge that becomes more complex and less of what we would normally expect. In our labor of love for God, we are constantly finding ourselves taking a step back in order for God to take us forward. This devotional is about becoming less of oneself and more of God. I find myself saying, “less of me, more of God”, “more of God, less of me”.

During the Thanksgiving Outreach 2008, my wife and I decided that we would work through any issue that came up. Every moment leading to November 22nd was filled with obstacles, but thanks to the many volunteers that came to help, the job got done. I discovered again that men would be lost without women, especially when preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for a large community”. "Thank you women of God"! The less of me began one day before the event. With so many people to consider and recognize for their contributions, I wanted to be more inclusive than exclusive. In my heart, I believe that God gets more glory when we stay out of the spotlight. I can imagine Jesus sitting on a hill away from the crowd, watching God at work among his creations. When we encourage others, we become character building in the body of Christ. The “more of God”, means, removing ourself from the front and sharing the experience with others that need the encouragement to face the world. Jesus reminds us that to be a good leader, we must be a great follower.

Have you ever given your seat up at an event, so that someone else could have the greater experience? I remember my Pastor and our wives going out on a “Date Night”. We had this table that was unbalanced and we wanted a better table that a couple had just left. A man and his family had been assigned to take the exact table that we wanted. While observing the problem with the other table, the man assigned to the table decided to give up his table and moved to the broken and unbalanced one.

The humble man insisted that we take the better table. I could see in his eyes that he was committed to perform this act of kindness. In our churches today, there are so many souls that never get the opportunity to experience a leading role, a speaking assignment, or just starting a project. Paul reminded the Corinthians that all of our gifts are the same in the body of Christ. I believe when we lift each other up, we become less of ourself and more of God.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, teach us how to be more of Christ and less of ourself. Teach us how to encourage the weak to be strong. Teach us dear Lord to give more and receive less. Thank you dear God for the opportunity to share your love with another soul. Thank you for a heart that gives to the poor. Thank you  for a mind that is centered on your will and not our own. Show us the way that is part of your perfect plan. We need more of our Father in Heaven, We need more of YOU. Help us to reach out into the deeper water. Teach us how to be fishermen of souls. We want be more of YOU. Amen.

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God Bless U