The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States "GOD, THE GREAT CHEESE MAKER" for Tuesday, 14 June 2016 with Scripture 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States "GOD, THE GREAT CHEESE MAKER" for Tuesday, 14 June 2016 with Scripture 1 Corinthians 3:1 As for me, brothers, I couldn’t talk to you as spiritual people but as worldly people, as babies, so far as experience with the Messiah is concerned. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. But you aren’t ready for it now either! 3 For you are still worldly! Isn’t it obvious from all the jealousy and quarrelling among you that you are worldly and living by merely human standards? 4 For when one says, “I follow Sha’ul” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you being merely human? 5 After all, what is Apollos? What is Sha’ul? Only servants through whom you came to trust. Indeed, it was the Lord who brought you to trust through one of us or through another. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow — 8 planter and waterer are the same.

However, each will be rewarded according to his work. 9 For we are God’s co-workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
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Paul wrote, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.I am often stressed out by the enormity of the world’s problems—hunger, war, human rights abuses—and my inability to do anything to help. Oh, I try. I give a few hours volunteering, a few dollars to charity; but my efforts feel so small. I wish I could do more. I wish I could fix the world’s problems.
I recently saw a story on TV about a man who raises sheep and makes his living by handcrafting artisan cheeses from their milk. It is painstaking work and needs a strong arm and lots of patience. The story got me thinking. For making cheese, the sheep produce the raw ingredient: milk. The cheese maker is the one who transforms the milk, creating a wonderful final product. Keeping the creamery running takes the milk of a lot of sheep, and each sheep is valued.
Believers are like those sheep. We can live faithful lives in our pasture and focus on making a simple raw ingredient: showing God’s love to the people around us. God is the master cheese maker who transforms our efforts into real change for the world.
Read more from the author, here."More from Jen Oxley"

It’s a been a year or two since I wrote the devotional piece that appears in today’s Upper Room, and as a regular volunteer in my community, I still suffer discouragement from time to time. Lately, I’ve been feeling particularly discouraged and quite overwhelmed in one of my jobs.
But I recently had an experience that caught me a little off-guard. While working this particular job, I came across one of our clients struggling to make her way home up a steep hill on foot. While I couldn’t offer her a ride, I did point out the way to the nearest bus stop and gave her a handful of change to pay her fare, as she didn’t have her bus pass with her. Later, I saw her again at her home at the top of the hill. She’d made it under her own power after all and graciously returned the bus money I’d given her. I was happy for her that she’d made it, as I know I wouldn’t be able to – it’s a very high and steep hill, and I couldn’t even think about trying to walk up it. But then I pretty much forgot about the incident.
Then a couple of weeks later, I needed a hand with something. She cheerfully helped me out, and made a comment about how I'd given her bus money when she needed help. I was totally surprised by that because she had remembered a small act that I had forgotten. We never really do know the impact our actions have on another person, even the little ones, and her comment gave me the encouragement I needed to keep going that day. I’m grateful to her for that.
Sadly, that job has proven to be too demanding for me after all and I’ve had to step away from it, but I will remember her and I will try to be more mindful in my daily interactions with others.
As Jesus said, “When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink.” It can be so simple.[Jen Oxley]
The Author: Jennifer Oxley (Washington, USA)
Thought for the Day: I can trust God to use my small efforts for the good of the world.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to see that even though our efforts seem inconsequential, they are the raw materials you use to build up your kingdom. Amen.
Prayer focus: VOLUNTEERS IN MY COMMUNITY

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