God Can Take the Ordinary and Make it Extraordinary

In 1 Samuel 17: 33 & 37, Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine (Goliath) and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth."

David replied, "The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine." To which Saul replied, "Go, and the LORD be with you."

Now, I don't know about you but watching sheep all day does not seem like the most exciting or even the most important of activities, yet that's exactly what God had David doing most of his young life. While his brothers were going to battle for the king, David remained close to home and faithful to his work as a shepherd. It was through this every day, ordinary activity that God did something extraordinary.

All along, God had been preparing David for the greatest battle of his life. And He used David's experiences as a shepherd boy in the fields to shape him into a man after God's own heart - a man who would one day shepherd His people as their greatest king.

This is the devotional thought, taken from "Creation Health Bible Stories: Insights for an Abundant Life," that I shared Tuesday morning at the Leadership Training @ 4H Camp, to kick-off the meeting.

In the same way, I truly believe that God can use Creation Health to do a mighty work in Greene County. Even when our day-to-day job tasks seem monotonous, mundane, ordinary, even unimportant, He can bless our efforts just as He gave David success in his battle against the giant Goliath. It is my prayer that we would be diligent servants, knowing that God is faithful and that it is He who has the power to change lives.

"Lord, please use this program for Your glory in Greene County...to change lives, to bring people into a relationship with You, to improve the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of every resident who lives here. Take our everyday, ordinary activities and use them to do something extraordinary for Your kingdom. Amen"

What about you? Do you believe that God can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary? Will you allow Him to use you right where you are today?

About the Author: Erin Franklin is the Creation Health Coordinator for Greene County and the Founder/Director at Worthy of the Prize Sports Ministries. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization, and her ebook find joy in the journey: how 12 women could face tomorrow just because He lives for inspiring stories of women who found overwhelming joy despite their circumstances. Erin is the wife of Aaron, the Worship Pastor at FBC Greeneville, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, Anderson and EJ. Click here for full bio.