4 SWORD OF THE LORD November 18 , 2022
The Benefits and Blessings of Serving in the Bus Ministry
When we think of serving in the bus ministry or any other ministry of the church , we think of the people that we can serve and to whom we can be a blessing and help . Sunday school teachers , youth workers , bus workers and bus captains think of the people that need spiritual leadership , those in a particular class that need to be taught the Word of God or need some type of supervision . We look at the need and volunteer to help meet that need . What a blessing it is to have good men and ladies provide the spiritual leadership to meet the spiritual needs of children , teens and adults .
However , there are far more benefits and blessings than those being received by the individuals in a class or on a bus route . There
are the blessings that come to the people who meet the needs of teachers , workers and servants . Let me share some of the blessings that come to the servants of the Lord .
1 . A Closer Walk With the Lord
In the process of our helping others have a knowledge of the Lord and a closer walk with Him , we ourselves develop a closer walk with the Lord . As a result of our teaching children , teens and adults the importance of a personal walk with God and the principles and procedures of walking with Him , our own walk with the Lord is strengthened .
When we lead someone else to read the Word of God , memorize it ,
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learn to pray and ask God for the things that are needed in His will , we improve own walk with the Lord .
As I teach others , I myself learn more . As I prepare to teach , I myself learn more . As I seek materials , Scripture and illustrations to teach others , I myself learn more . My , what a blessing it is to me to be a blessing to others !
2 . An Improved Prayer Life
I have spoken in general of our walk with God . Prayer is a specific part of that walk with God that is blessed when I help others learn to pray . It is interesting to note that the disciples of the Lord Jesus asked Jesus to teach them to pray .
Notice , “ And it came to pass , that , as he was praying in a certain place , when he ceased , one of his disciples said unto him , Lord , teach us to pray , as John also taught his disciples ” ( Luke 11:1 ).
Most of the time I have read this to mean that they are asking Him to teach them how to pray . Yet the Word of God does not use the word how .
This may be what the verse is saying because the Lord Jesus does give a “ model prayer .” However , the wording is “ teach us to pray .” The disciples recognized the im -
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portance and power of prayer . They knew they needed to spend time in prayer as Jesus did .
I contend that when we teach others “ to pray ” and even how to pray , we ourselves learn more about prayer and benefit more from prayer . What a blessing this is !
3 . An Increased Knowledge of the Word of God
Without a doubt the teacher that is teaching a Bible lesson — whether it is in a three-year-olds ’ class or an adult Sunday school class or on a bus route — is learning more of the Word of God . When we hear a lesson , we hear it one time . If the teacher is a good Bible teacher , he will use some repeti - tion and stay focused on a single passage or truth he ’ s working to convey . The more we repeat a Bible truth or principle , the more our minds and lives are grounded in it .
You see , meeting a need for another is a blessing not only to that person but also to those who work to meet that need . I en - courage you to get involved in the work of the bus and Sunday school ministries not only to teach the Word of God but also to learn more of it .
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4 . An Increase of Spiritual Friends
The greatest fraternity of people groups is the fraternity of God ’ s servants . These are the people who share the same burden , who are learning the same Book and desiring to be a blessing to others .
Through many years as a pastor , I have seen many young people find their life mates working in the bus ministry and Sunday schools of our churches . These friendships are some of the finest and strongest in all the world .
We work together . We pray to - gether . We cry together . We laugh together . We invest in the same people . We rejoice in the salvation of others together . We rejoice in the personal and spiritual victories of those we serve . What a friend - ship ! What a fraternity ! What a family we become !
There are multitudes of people being served spiritually each week across America by the good servants of the Lord . What a blessing this is to so many people ! Yet the blessings do not begin there . The blessings begin as the servants prepare to be a blessing , as we give of our time and lives to invest in others .
Thank You , Lord , for Your bless - ings on me while I try to be a blessing to others . ||
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Thanksgiving Day On that day let our ordinary work and business be suspended and let us meet in our accustomed places of worship and give thanks to Almighty God for our preservation as a nation , for our immunity from disease and pestilence , for the harvests that have rewarded our husbandry , for a renewal of national prosperity , and for every advance in virtue and intelligence that has marked our growth as a people .
— President Grover Cleveland , November 1 , 1894
Cencontlatolly , the Singing Deceiver Part 1
“ Sing unto [ the Lord ], sing psalms unto him , talk ye of all his wondrous works .”— I Chronicles 16:9 .
Ranger Longbow had packed a hearty breakfast the night before and had everything he needed for his yearly Thanksgiving trek over to the small clearing he had made in the midst of some very tall pine trees .
Arriving without even being winded , the ranger did as he had every Thanksgiving morning for the past fifteen years : gaze in wonder at the breathtaking colors in the sunrise . He wondered how people could look at such beauty and not understand that only God had created all of this .
There was not one iota of truth that the world began with a bang or as a blob or a speck of dust . Everything that was and is and ever would be was created by the living and loving and breathing Creator-God .
Ranger Longbow sipped his hot coffee as he thought about his childhood and the many lessons learned from his grandfather , Chief Adahy . His name meant “ lives in the woods .” The ranger ’ s Indian name was Atohi . It was in the woods and around their evening campfires that he learned many lessons about the Creator-God .
He thought now of one of the most important lessons he learned about one of the greatest deceivers of all time . It wasn ’ t the Devil , although he was at the top of the list of deceivers ; however , he was not a happy singer . In fact , he had not one happy note of worth about which to sing !
“ Come , Atohi ,” Chief Adahy had said to his ten-year-old grandson . “ Make haste . We go to forest to test your knowledge of birds and their voices . We go to place when moon is full in nighttime sky high above our heads .”
Atohi was very excited about this test , for he knew the songs of the birds . He could describe them in detail — their coloring , size and habits — for he had studied them diligently .
The Melodious Cencontlatolly
As the old chief and his grand - son sat silently around the fire and embraced its warmth , the birds began to sing . Atohi was surprised that so many summer birds were still here on the mountain , for most of them flew south in the winter . He snuck a peek at Chief Adahy to see if he was making the sounds , but he was pleased to see that he had not . He did not have time to ponder this unusual behavior of the birds , for soon they were whistling one after another .
Atohi began identifying the birds by their whistle and then described them . Each time the old chief said , “ Right song . Wrong bird .”
“ Grandfather , that was a cardinal , although some people call them redbirds because the
males are a fiery red , but …” “ No but . Right song . Wrong bird .”
“ Right song ! Right bird ! You are wrong , Grandfather !”
Atohi had never raised his voice or spoken back to his grandfather before . No matter how it made him feel , Grandfather was wrong and Atohi thought he needed to be corrected .
Grandfather was not pleased .
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Another bird began to sing ; and again Chief Adahy said , “ Right song . Wrong bird .”
“ Grandfather , that was a robin , although he ’ s going to freeze his little tail feathers off if he doesn ’ t head south … and soon !”
Before Adahy could respond , another bird began to sing . Adahy looked at his grandfather and said , “ A squawking blue jay !”
“ Right song . Wrong bird ,” said the old chief .
Adahy ’ s voice was filled with exasperation and impatience with his grandfather . The grandfather ’ s voice was tinged with displeasure at his grandson ’ s attitude .
“ Grandson stay by fire this night . Burning fire keep wolf away . I go back to village .”
As Chief Adahy quietly disap - peared into the night , the night came alive with the sounds of night creatures , including the howling of the old gray wolf that lived among the caves .
Adahy spent a long , restless night . He was kept busy cutting and gathering firewood to keep a bright fire burning and listening to the night sounds which for some reason seemed louder than ever
before . Then he thought about Four Paws , an old black bear that roamed through the woods at night .
“ Grandfather , it will be your fault if I get eaten alive ,” he said as he added more twigs to the fire .
Atohi was so quick to blame his predicament on someone other than himself , that he forgot the most necessary thing for protection — prayer . All night he stayed awake and was kept busy by keeping the fire ablaze and not once did he stop to ask the Lord for His pro - tection .
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Read the next issue of the Sword of the Lord to meet Cencontlatolly , the Singing Deceiver .
Write to me !
Grandma Ruth Sword of the Lord Publishers P . O . Box 1099 Murfreesboro , TN 37133
Have a great Thanksgiving and don ’ t forget to thank the One who gave it to you ! ||