October 15: Balm in Gilead- Part3

Balm in Gilead

A Three Part Devotional Series

Sharon Campbell-Danvers 
Kings Seventh-day Adventist Church 

Hymn: There Is a Balm in Gilead
Origin: Traditional African American Spiritual

Part 3: You Still Have Something to Give

Key Text: “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee.” Mark 5:19, KJV

“If you can not preach like Peter,
If you can not pray like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus.”

Sometimes we convince ourselves that because we cannot do what someone else does, we have nothing meaningful to offer.

We compare our gifts.

We compare our confidence.

We compare our platform.

We compare the way someone else speaks, teaches, prays, sings, leads, or serves.

And before long, comparison begins to silence us.

But this verse gives us a simple and freeing reminder.

You do not have to preach like Peter.

You do not have to pray like Paul.

You only have to be faithful with what God has placed in you.

There is something powerful about a personal testimony.

You may not have all the right words, but you can tell someone how God carried you.

You can tell how He answered a prayer.

You can tell how He gave you strength when you were weak.

You can tell how He brought you through a season you thought would break you.

You can tell someone that Jesus loves them.

That matters.

Sometimes we think ministry only happens from a pulpit, on a platform, or through a title.

But ministry can happen in a conversation.

It can happen in a text message.

It can happen while sitting beside someone who is hurting.

It can happen when you simply say, “I have been through something too, and God was faithful to me.”

Mark 5:19 records Jesus telling a man who had been delivered to go home and tell his friends what the Lord had done for him.

Jesus did not ask him to become someone else.

He asked him to tell his story.

That same invitation is given to us.

Your testimony does not have to sound dramatic to be powerful.

If God gave you peace, tell it.

If He sustained you, tell it.

If He forgave you, tell it.

If He restored you, tell it.

If He kept you when you wanted to give up, tell it.

There may be someone who needs to hear exactly what God has done in your life.

Do not underestimate the value of your story.

The enemy would love for us to believe that we are not gifted enough, spiritual enough, confident enough, or knowledgeable enough to be used by God.

But God has never required us to be copies of someone else.

He asks us to be available.

You still have something to give.

You have your experience.

You have your voice.

You have your testimony.

And most importantly, you know the love of Jesus.

That is enough to begin.

Reflection Questions

1. Have I been comparing my gifts with the gifts of others?
2. What has Jesus done in my life that I can share with someone else?
3. Who may need to hear a word of hope from me today?

Statement

I do not have to be like anyone else to be useful to God. I have a testimony, a voice, and a story of His faithfulness. I can tell someone about the love of Jesus.

Prayer

Jesus, help me to use what You have given me. Give me courage to share Your love and tell others what You have done in my life. Amen.

Copyright Notice

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), unless otherwise indicated. Brief hymn excerpts are included for devotional reflection. “There Is a Balm in Gilead” is a traditional African American spiritual in the public domain.