Daily Devotional for February 21, 2022
Minutemen
“Check out this cool wig!” Anna exclaimed as she and her dad and brother strolled through the museum and peered into display cases holding artifacts from the Revolutionary War period. “I’ve seen pictures of George Washington wearing a wig like this.” She grinned at her brother. “You’d look so cute in a wig, Jeremiah,” she teased. “You should wear one of these.”
“No way!” said Jeremiah. He pointed to a gun display. “Now those are cool!”
Anna shuddered. “Guns aren’t cool—they’re scary!”
Jeremiah looked at the information posted at the display. “Many of those who fought for liberty were ordinary farmers and tradesmen,” he read aloud. “Some of them belonged to a special group called minutemen—a small, handpicked force that had to be able to assemble quickly. These early soldiers had to be ready and willing to leave their homes, businesses, and families at a moment’s notice. They were generally the first to go and be engaged in a battle.”
“Wow!” said Anna when Jeremiah finished reading. “That must have been hard. Aren’t you glad there aren’t any minutemen today, Jeremiah? You’d probably have to decide if you’d want to be part of a group like that.”
“Actually, we all have to make a similar kind of decision,” Dad mused.
“You mean decide whether or not to join the military?” Jeremiah asked.
“No, I mean because we belong to Jesus, and He uses ordinary people to serve Him,” replied Dad. “We should be ready and willing to immediately follow Him wherever He leads—even if it means leaving homes, family, friends, jobs, or material possessions.”
“Missionaries do that when they go to foreign countries,” observed Jeremiah.
“Yes, they do,” Dad said, “and they often report that the joy of serving Jesus far outweighs the sacrifices they make. But it isn’t just missionaries who need to be ready to serve the Lord. Jesus has given each one of us a mission to share the good news of salvation with others. We should all be ready to do that at any moment—whether He leads us to a faraway place or just down the road.”
Jeremiah grinned. “No matter where we are, we can be minutemen for Jesus.”
Anna nudged him with her elbow. “And minutewomen!”
-Sandra L. Ardoin
How about you?
Are you willing to follow Jesus and serve Him wherever He leads? It isn’t always easy, but He’ll be with you and empower you wherever you go. Maybe He’ll lead you to another country to tell people there about Him. Or maybe He’ll encourage you to show His love to an unpopular classmate, even though you’re teased for it. Be ready to serve Him in whatever way He shows you, knowing He’ll give you the strength and courage you need.
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