How Can I Make My Life Count for Christ?

By Billy Graham, Tribune Media Services on Oct 6, 2008

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Q: I know I'm supposed to make my life count for Christ, and I really want to, but what can I do? I can't teach or anything like that. I'm just a carpenter, and while I try to help out by fixing things around our church, I know that's not very much. -- F.N.

A: Don't forget that during most of His life Jesus also was a carpenter, working with His hands in the town of Nazareth. "Isn't this the carpenter?" some of His critics asked scornfully, implying that no mere carpenter could possibly be the promised Messiah (Mark 6:3).

If God's Son spent most of His life serving His Heavenly Father as a carpenter, can't you also? Don't downplay the work you do. If God gave you this skill, and you are where He wants you to be, then your work is important in His sight. The Bible says, "Every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability... (is) to do the work just as the Lord has commanded" (Exodus 36:1). When we put Christ first in our lives, we serve God by the work we do.

Be the best carpenter you can be, and ask God to help you honor Him through it. Did you ever ask yourself how good a carpenter Jesus was? Was His work shoddy, or did people learn they couldn't depend on Him? No, of course not. The Bible says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" (Colossians 3:23).

In addition, ask God to show you other ways you can use your skills -- volunteering for a community service project through your church, for example, or going on a short-term missions project.

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Send your queries to "My Answer," c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit the Web site for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: www.billygraham.org.