“What’s in Your Hand?”

“What’s in Your Hand?”

During the November 2018 Missions Conference at Victory Church Randy Hurst, Advancement Director for AOG World Missions, brought a stirring message challenging the church family to use the resources God’s entrusted to us to reach people with the message of forgiveness and hope through Christ. He cited a taxi driver in Southeast Asia who used his cab to share the gospel with his passengers and had led many people to faith in Christ, Mr. Hurst used this example to encourage us to be “taxi evangelists” wherever God has placed us.

As I listened I thought of God’s call of Moses to lead the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan. Moses wasn’t particularly thrilled with this assignment and gave the Lord five excuses why he wasn’t the man for the job. The third one involved his concern that the nation wouldn’t believe God had appeared to him (Exodus 4:1). In response God asked a simple question: “What is that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2). Moses replied that it was a staff (probably a walking stick) which became a snake when he threw it on the ground and a staff again when he picked it up. A short time later God used this before Pharaoh to show His superiority to the Egyptians’ gods but Pharaoh refused to listen (Exodus 7:8-13) and the ten plagues followed.

Over the years I’ve heard of a number of “What’s in Your Hand?” stories in which God has used His people in unique ways:

*One of my college Bible professors used his skill as a softball pitcher to minister to troubled teen boys.

*A pastor in New York had a dog training school through which he built many contacts in his community.

*A gentleman in Victory Church who recently entered Heaven turned his carport into a workout area for disadvantaged young people, a number of whom accepted Christ.

How about some biblical examples:

*”…Shamgar…struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.” (Judges 3:31).

*”…David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone….” (1 Samuel 17:5

*”Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish….” (John 6:9). (We know the rest of the story here.)

What’s in my hand? What’s in yours? Whatever God puts there can be used in ways we’d never think possible as we dedicate them to Him.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan