2 Tim 1:5

"When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also" 2 Tim 1:5

There are many accounts of "little people", the common man or woman, being used of God in mighty ways. We could talk of many of the prophets. We obviously recall a young woman, Mary, and her betrothed, Joseph. We might call them "salt of the earth" type of people. James and John, Peter and Andrew, fishermen with no other life in sight until Jesus walked down the beach near their boats and called them to follow Him and He would make them "fishers of men." Stephen, the disciple who became a deacon and suffered martyrdom for his preaching and Phillip the evangelist transported from the wilderness to the heart of another revival are two more of the small folk made huge by the call of God.

There is one more individual I believe we should look at. He was the offspring of a Jewish woman and a gentile man, raised in a gentile nation to follow God's laws. Timothy was called by Paul to be a companion and a student. He had little to offer except willingness to learn and the heritage of a godly mother and a godly grandmother. As a youth he began to serve Paul the Apostle. He followed him throughout the Middle Eastern and European countries of the day, absorbing the vast knowledge stored by God in the heart of Paul. Finally, Paul began to send Timothy on errands of great import until Paul made Timothy the pastor of a church that needed a gentle but firm hand.

Timothy was on his own, but not without the prayers and instruction of the great Apostle. We are fortunate to have two of the letters Paul wrote to Timothy because in them the Apostle taught Timothy, and the church as a whole, how to organize and grow a powerful local congregation. In due season, church history tells us that Timothy became a very influential bishop (elder/pastor) of the whole region, leading the churches and training men in the ways Paul was taught by Jesus in the wilderness.

Timothy had one major asset: a willingness to serve ... to be used... by God. He apparently had no great wealth. He had just a basic education. He was nothing outstanding to the world, but Paul saw something in him and assisted God in bringing it out in the open. God can do the same for and through you. He takes the simple things and makes them great. A few small fish and a handful of little loaves fed 5,000 men. A simple gold coin was used to teach about taxes and God's will for His children. A little child was the object of a lesson on the simple faith. A grain of mustard seed taught about the kingdom. A grain of salt taught us about how important we are in the world around us. And twelve simple men started a church on the Day of Pentecost.

You, my brothers and sisters in Christ, are the salt of the earth, and God wants to use you to enhance the Kingdom in your neighborhood, your state, your nation, and your world. He will take whatever small offering you have to give and multiply it over and over until multitudes are fed from what you give. But you must give it in order for Him to multiply it. You must be willing to be an offering, poured out, so that He can fill you with His glory. You must obediently raise your hand and place it in the nail-pierced palm of Jesus so He can lead you in the ways only you can tread. You ... must ... willingly... yield ... yourself ... to ... Jesus. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.