One Contribution Or Another

August 1, 2004 | Link To Us | Index | This sermon is for your spiritual edification and to spread a little hope and cheer. Roman 15:26

Sometimes we stray to the point that we give up on something that we have tried so hard to be consistent with. I hate to admit this to you but I have not written a sermon in over three weeks. After writing over 400 sermons I just had a hard time finding enough to write about. I wondered if people even cared enough to read any of my sermons since I was getting very little feedback and sometimes would go a very long time between feedback times.

So I stopped writing sermons altogether as this sermon is three weeks late in getting out. I know, a minister, or at least that is what I sometimes think of my self as, does not just stop writing sermons. But I felt I had lost my way. I was tired of writing basically the same things over and over again. I wondered if people cared. I wondered if they thought it was weird that some guy, all of a sudden one day declared, "I think I will write a sermon, and put it on my web site." That was over seven years ago and after all the sermons, I thought, "enough was enough."

But was it? Did I have a following of some kind? Were people actually reading my sermons? I often wondered if there was anybody at all that was consistently reading my sermons.

But then it donned on me that God was speaking to me through my fingers. I know what you might be thinking. This man claims God is talking to Him and makes his hands glide over the keys on the keyboard with elegance and grace to come with sermon after sermon each week. But what if it is true? Sometimes the most fantastic things happen in this world that are totally unexplained. They are often referred to as miracles. But let me say that God is talking to me through my fingers and guiding me on the path that I should go on and that is to write of His love and His compassion for the human race.

But why is this man writing these sermons, you might still ask. Inquisitive minds want to know. Is it because of deep seeded respect for God and the wonderful miracles that He bestows on us at times that we need them and also at times that may not even be aware of? Is it a desire to give people hope?

Some time ago I came up with a mission statement. This was at a time when I was being faithful and writing a sermon for every Sunday. It goes something like this:

"I want to give people hope for the future."

Hope, at a time when so much hope has been drowned out by society. We see the violence that permeates our news programs that we watch. We here of so much strife and pestilence and greed that we sometimes question whether or not the human race will ever increase it's hope and let the rest of us breathe a sigh of relief and truly feel that there is hope for this world.

Ever increasing hope. Is it attainable, that is up to you. It isn't up to others. People often put the blame on others for how bad the world is without ever thinking what contribution they have made for this world. "The world is so bad these days, Oh my what are we as the human race going to do about it." This implies that others are supposed to make the difference and not you.

Now I am not picking on you or trying to make you think that you haven't made a contribution to this world. Just ask yourself the question, "What have I done for this world. What contribution have I made that will definitely make a difference in the live of many others.

Now I am not talking about the contribution you have made to your immediate family, I am talking about people you may never know. What have you done to make this world a better place for all?

Now I am guessing most people would say they have made a definite contribution to society, but if they looked deep within themselves, they would not be able to find any real contributions that they know of in giving to the human race as a whole.

Now I am not saying that these sermons that I write are the best in the world by any stretch of the imagination. And these sermons may not be considered good to a lot of people. But it is quite often the effort that is involved that is more important than the content. Putting your best foot forward and making a difference. That is what is important. Contribute to this world. Give of yourself. Because until you do you will always be wondering, "I wonder if I will ever actually contribute, or be able to contribute to society as a whole."

But most important of all here is that we need to pray and ask God for guidance in our endeavors. Let Him into your life and ask Him what kind of contribution you can make. Let Him know that you care and that you truly want to make a difference. Don't wait for others to make a difference, make a difference yourself today or as soon as possible. Because showing the world that you care can be one of the most rewarding experiences that you can have.

Just make sure you keep asking for feedback, because unless you ask for it, most people will never care to let you know that what you are doing is highly appreciated.

Prayer: Thank you Lord, for giving me another chance. Help me to take that chance and make this world a better place for society as a whole. And thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2004 Bryan Hill