Are You a Nobody?

So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. (2 Kings 5:4)

All we know about this girl is this vague reference: a young girl from Israel. She is never named. She's a nobody. A kid. A servant. No work was less important, no title lower. Yet, God used her right where she was. He considered her very important to the work He was preparing to do.
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Do you feel like that? A nobody? Most of us are called to obscurity. We’ll never have our names in People Magazine or our faces celebrated by the world. We can feel overlooked and unimportant. But what if God’s plan for your life requires you to be a nobody in the world’s eyes? 
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This “young girl from Israel” was no one’s idea of success, yet God had placed her right where he wanted her. She was important in God’s plan, and she was ready when He gave her a job to do—even though no one would ever know her name.
  
Are you called to obscurity? God can use you even though nobody knows your name. 
He know it.

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Where's the Piccolo?

A guest conductor was leading a symphony orchestra in rehearsal the night before a big concert. As the music swelled to a heart-stopping crescendo, the conductor suddenly held up a hand and shouted, “Stop!”  

The musicians silenced their instruments and stared at the red-faced conductor. “Where’s the piccolo?” he shouted. 

One frightened piccolo player held up a shaky hand. “Sorry sir,” he mumbled. “I didn’t think you’d notice. All these other instruments…” 

“Notice?” The conductor’s stern gaze swept the group. “When this piece calls for a piccolo, I want to hear a piccolo.”

A symphony requires the participation of every musician. A piccolo is a tiny instrument, yet to the ears of the conductor, its music was irreplaceable. Your part in God’s work may seem insignificant to you, but to the ears of your Conductor, you are irreplaceable. No one else can create the music you bring to the ears of your Heavenly Father. He gave you a sound that can perfectly harmonize with the sounds of His other children.

When He calls for you, He wants to hear you playing.

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Under Which God?

 
“One nation under God.” 

If an alien from another planet was dropped into the middle of the U.S. and shown this motto, what would he conclude? If he was asked to observe our way of life and then identify that God under which our nation professes to live, what would he say?

He might check the surfing histories of our iphones and laptops, tally the number of dollars spent on porn, prostitution, and sensually-geared businesses, and conclude that our god is Sex. Or he might notice the rapidly increasing number of temples where people bring their wealth, offer it to the machines and dealers in hopes of receiving more in return, and decide we worship Money. He might pause thoughtfully to consider the massive stadiums where the faithful gather to offer passionate worship to sports teams or rock stars. He could be shown the number of mind-altering substances purchased and consumed by our citizens, the sacrifices and excuses that millions make to serve those cravings, and be confident that we worship and serve the Duality of Drugs & Alcohol. Or perhaps the plethora of tabloids shouting Hollywood’s latest scandal could lead him to wonder if America has a Mecca on the west coast.

He may even take a trip through our churches and be impressed with the vast number of Bibles on our shelves. But when he compares its truths with our modern version of a cool, inoffensive Jesus and a passive, weak God who changes His mind to accommodate current sensitivities, he would only shake his head. The Jesus being preached is not one who would have ever been crucified, and those professing His name don’t seem to agree with His Book. So that can’t be Him. He may come close to being right when he sees the gold-domed mosques sprouting up everywhere and he may announce that our god is soon to be Allah.

There is a great deal of worship taking place in this nation and our friendly alien would have much to consider. We are indeed one nation under God, but which god? 

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