talking to believers when he encouraged humility when it comes to the value of other human beings. We are a body, and the eye is no more useful than the foot.

You¡¦ve heard of the two ducks that were getting ready to fly south. A frog, wanting to go with them, but lacking transportation, convinced them to each take the end of a string. The ducks flew toward the frog, draping the string like a clothesline. The frog made a mighty jump, clamping-on the string with his mouth. It was a first class way to fly.

However, just over Pittsburgh, a passing pigeon saw the trio flying at twelve hundred feet, and questioned, Hey, that¡¦s pretty clever. Who thought of that? Said the boastful little frog, MEeeeeeeeeee.

In God¡¦s economy, it doesn¡¦t matter who gets the credit. God¡¦s family is a team that doesn¡¦t need any stars. Paul and Brenda, were watching their grandson, Scott, play basketball. Scott plays center. He is tall and handles the ball well. That night, every time Scott got the ball, he looked around for someone to pass to instead of shooting.

Later, Paul asked his grandson, Scott, why don¡¦t you shoot when you have a good shot? Scott thought for a moment and replied, When you throw the ball out to one of the other guys and he makes two points, then you run down the court giving high fives¡Xthat¡¦s the real thrill. That¡¦s the name of the game.
(*Samuel M. Miller, Oconee, SC, in Preaching Today)

#2. Saved Enough To Be Useful

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation:
he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8

Paul¡¦s litany of the gifts (giving, prophesying, etc.) should not obscure the fact that he exhorts us to USE those gifts. And they are to be used for God¡¦s glory. That means we are to be useful ¡V contributors to other people¡¦s lives.

An evangelist told how it is the nature of his vocation to eat at many church potlucks. In a small-town Kansas church, the pastor suggested a 10-year-old boy to be host to the visiting preacher. The youngster took his task seriously. He introduced him to everyone, and then took him to the food table.
Jeremy commented on each casserole. You¡¦ll want some of that and that, he said, pointing. Then looking at another dish, Trust me. Skip that one. They got near the end of the table when he said, My mom brought that. When asked if it was good, he said, The recipe has been in the family for years. Passed down from one bad cook to another.
(*Rev Dean Benton, Bulington, in Christian Reader)

Servanthood is not popular these days. However, Jesus never claimed that following Him would make us popular on this earth. He DID say that our reward in HEAVEN would be great!

#3. Loving Enough To Be Involved

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:9

Love must be sincere. There is nothing less sincere than a faith that says, I love you, and want the best for you, and then ignores the needs. That better describes hypocrisy. The most captivating aspect of the parable