Picture getting a phone call that says you’ve been picked to play in the World Cup or the NBA Finals. Elder Oscar Santana, a lifelong soccer player and coach, started Sabbath’s message with that dream. He never made it to the World Cup himself. But he reminded us that every one of us has been called up to something bigger: serving in God’s kingdom.
The big idea: God has given each of us a gift, and He’s calling us off the bench to use it for others, right where we are.
1. Your gift is meant to serve others. 1 Peter 4:10 says each of us has received a gift to serve others. That could be singing, teaching, welcoming people, fixing things, or even a warm smile. If you have it, God can use it.
2. Check your motive. Elder Santana admitted that as a young soccer player, he took all the credit for every goal he scored. Our gifts come from God, so the point is to honor Him, not to show off.
3. You don’t have to be fully healed to serve. Jesus was wounded and hanging on the cross, and He still offered hope to the man beside Him (Luke 23:42-43). Instead of only asking, “Why, Lord?” try asking, “Lord, how can I serve You in the middle of this?”
4. Generosity is a gift too. When his dad’s “two-hour” surgery turned into 14 days in the hospital, Elder Santana’s money ran low just as his tuition came due. A neighbor prayed with him, and the next morning she called to say she would help pay for his semester. If God has trusted you with resources, look around for someone who could use a hand (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
5. Your story is your tool. You don’t need a stage or a microphone to share what God has done in your life (Acts 1:8).
The story that stuck with us
For about 15 years, Elder Santana has hosted a TV program on health, exercise, and faith. On a trip to Guatemala, a man came to meet him in tears. Years earlier, he had come home drunk at 4 a.m., turned on the TV, and started following along with the workout, still in his boots. At the end of the show, the invitation to come home to God hit him so hard that he fell to his knees and gave his life to Jesus.
When the man asked how he could serve, Elder Santana asked what he had. “A truck,” he said. So by day he hauled heavy steel doors, and by night he filled that truck with people and drove them to hear Elder Santana speak. He brought 12 people every night for a week. By the end, 10 of them chose to be baptized. He didn’t need special training. He just offered God what was already in his hands.
Something to think about this week
What’s already in your hands that God could use to help someone else?
