“Would you be willing to donate the bone that we remove during the operation?” they asked me. There was nothing heroic about this decision, the hip would be replaced while I was out for the count. I wondered what they might need the bone for, since it had been causing me some discomfort. Maybe they had hungry dogs to feed? or were my bones to be powdered as fertiliser? But no. Apparently the bone could be of real value and of use to someone else! Of course they were welcome…so I have a new ball and socket joint, and someone else will be blessed by a bit of my bone.
Have you ever experienced the low self-esteem which feels that you have nothing of value to offer? Of course it is an ungodly belief, but please read on.
We were meditating on Numbers 4:49. “At the Lord’s command through Moses each was assigned his work and told what to carry…”
And we felt the Lord was saying:
Come close to Me so that I can show you that which your eyes have not yet seen. For you are not as the Kohathites who carried the holy things but must not look on them lest they died. By no means. For the veil upon My people has been taken away and I bid you come right into the holy place to sit with Me and look upon the holy things. Come closer in, so that you feel the touch of My hand upon your lives and sense the fragrance of the anointing and hear the whisper of My voice of love and see the unparalleled beauty of my holiness.
Your work is to come into My Presence and to worship and to wait before Me, and then to go to proclaim to my people what I tell you to proclaim. You are to carry no greater burden than that which I give to you and My burden is light for My yoke is easy and I give you my rest in all things.
I want you to go on carrying the fire as Abraham carried the fire in his hand. I want you to carry the light. I want you to carry the balm of Gilead to comfort and to heal. I want you to be an encourager and to carry the wine of joy and the bread of life. I send you into the conflict as I send every believer equipped with the armour of God. Yet within any army there are the specialists with their own appointed task. Some I call to handle the heavy artillery of my word.
Others are like archers who are to send smoothly polished arrows aimed at the chinks of the adversary’s armour. An arrow seems a lighter thing that a cannon ball, yet it can bring down a king. So do not be dismayed, or despise the gifting given to you. You cannot go into battle in Saul’s armour. Use the weapons that are comfortable for you. Do not attempt to carry what is not yours, even though you may admire the gifting of others, but instead take up all that I have given you to carry and do so with cheerfulness of heart, for I will bless you and anoint you for that which I entrust to you.
