The work of our hands

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How can God use your hands?

When greeting a person with a handshake, have you ever noticed not only the variety of shakes but also of hands? I think it’s an interesting exercise to gauge a person’s work habits, grooming and personality by their handshake and also by their hands.

The other day I shook the hand of a man who just about crushed mine. It was quite the bear paw. His hands were huge and rough. So I figured out quite quickly that he worked outdoors, had a lively robust personality and that “Ouch. That handshake hurt!” I tried mightily to keep at least a half-grin on my face.

I’ve also had those handshakes that feel like a wet fish. You know the kind where the other person just sort of limps their hand into yours. You are then responsible for creating all the action of the handshake, because it certainly isn’t going to be generated by them. Usually these people have quiet, unassuming personalities. They are probably fearful of doing hand damage, so they keep the shake to an absurd minimum.

Then there are those shakes that are just right. Both shakers are giving about the same amount of hand pressure and just the right kind of action. It’s the kind of shake that is encouraging and invigorating, and you immediately know that this is a person you can connect with on a higher level. It’s easy to smile when getting one of those handshakes.

Hands are important, are they not? Psalm 90:17 says “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us, yes, establish the work of our hands.”

When thinking about a new church plant project or a new church health initiative, I often envision all the hands that will be involved in getting it off and running. Hands that vary in size, shape, roughness and tenderness. It takes all kinds of hands to effectively start a church from scratch—all in order to reach more people with the message of Jesus.

Maybe you have hands that God wants to use to help start a new church. Maybe God is calling you to get your hands a little dirtier, a little stronger, a little rougher than they are right now. To have hands that go to work on a mission.

Take a look at your hands. Is God calling you to use them differently than you have been? Not that how you have been serving has been wrong. But maybe, just maybe, God would like to use your hands, firmly grasped in his,  in a new mission—a life-changing mission for the transformation of individuals, families and communities in the name of Jesus. Lord, establish the work of our hands.

For more info on how you can be involved, go to www.usmb.org/mission-usa

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