THANK GOD FOR VOLUNTEERS – Pt 4

Exodus 17:8-13 “Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

There are many, many Hur-like people in the service of the Lord in local churches all over the world. Even though there are many, there are still room for more. If you are not serving the Lord, I trust these few weeks of CHALLENGING CONCEPTS might have given you a desire to “wade out into the deep.” You needed and can even enjoy being used by God to hold up the hands of some very important leaders.

In the last three weeks we have seen how INVALUABLE these precious and selfless saints of the Lord are to the work of the Lord. From the human view-point, pastors and leaders could not do what God has called them to do without these great servants. In the second CHALLENGING CONCCETS we also saw that they are very, very INVOLVED. You may not know them or where they serve, but they are people who can be counted on. They will be there when needed. You don’t have to worry about their task being done; they are reliable and dependable. In last week’s CHALLENGING CONCEPTS the issue dealt with the fact that even though they are important and will be in their place, they are many times INVISIBLE to the congregation. They don’t seek the spotlight. Even though recognition is commendable, they don’t have to have it. They serve for one reason and that’s for the glory of God.

Today we notice one final thought:

IV. THESE SERVANTS ARE ALWAYS INVESTORS

Sometimes those who are invisible volunteers feel that no one sees what they do for the Lord, but that’s not true. There are many people who see and take knowledge of what they do.There’s a very interesting thought found in Exodus 31:2 “See I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:” At this time God needed someone to build the Tabernacle and provide a place where He could meet with His people. As He looked down at millions of Israelites, there were many that worked on the Tabernacle. It interesting that one is mentioned here in this passage. God’s eyes settled on one man, Bezaleel. This man who was chosen by God was the grandson of Hur. Where do you think Bezaleeel got his example of service? His model and hero was his grandfather who had done an INVALUABLE, INVISIBLE role of holding up the hands of Moses at a very crucial time in the life of his country.

On that victorious day on the battlefield of Rephidim, some were watching the soldiers as they were winning, then losing, and then winning again. Others had their eyes fixed on Moses. Some were watching Aaron as he held up one of the arms of his brother Moses. But there was only one person that caught the attention of Bezaleel and that person was his granddad. His eyes watched him all the day. I can just hear Bezaleel tell the story of the battle and you would think that his grandfather, Hur, was the only one there and won the battle single-handedly. Hur became Bezaleel’s hero and for years to come served the Lord in the same way as his hero. He caught the vision of what one man can do in the service of the Lord. He was chosen by God for a very important task.

I’m sure that there were others who were watching Hur and his service for the Lord also. As Hur lived and served the Lord, people were observing his unselfish service even though most of it was done in the background. But remember this, no one is totally isolated. What is done for the Lord is noticed by someone. And it’s noticed by God who will reward His servants. The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15: 58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” Hur was an investor and reaped rewards in his own family, but also reaped it himself because God always rewards faithful service for Him.

Let me say a word to those who might be a new believer. You are never too young in the Lord to start holding up someone’s hand. There is always something you can do. Go to your pastor and volunteer for some area of service. You can make a difference in the service of the Lord.

You that have been serving for years, don’t quit! You are making a difference. And don’t forget that someone is watching you and you can be an example to them. Remember also that God is watching and He will reward you. Paul wrote in Galatians 6: 9 “And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” You are an INVESTOR.

That’s my view; how about you?