The Work of Our Hands

God has placed a calling upon each of our lives, to use the talents and resources He has given to us to bring honor to His name.   1st Thessalonians 4 reminds us to act in love:
9But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;10and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;11that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,12that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing...

We have gifts, unique capabilities, and God is calling us to be faithful in the use of what He has entrusted to us.  And, I believe that He is pleased with our diligence.   We use our minds and hearts to connect with Him, and with our hands, we reach out to actually represent our Savior.   With our feet, we go where He sends us.   With our mouths, we are called to speak the truth of God.   He has uniquely equipped us to spread His glory and to reflect the love of Christ, and it's good to evaluate how we are using those unique talents that He has given to us.

In Ecclesiastes 9, we see a powerful verse about the attitude that we can possess as believers who desire to do all things for the glory of God:

10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Earlier this week, some 600 Woman's Missionary Union members toured five Baltimore sites related to WMU legend Annie Armstrong during the June 8 session of the WMU Annual Meeting and Missions Celebration.  Armstrong was a native of Baltimore who served as WMU's first corresponding secretary, which is akin to today's position of executive director.  She is the namesake for an annual offering for North American Missions, collected at Easter, in association with North American Missions with the North American Mission Board.

According to a piece on the Baptist Press website, year after year, Armstrong came up with new ways to stir up missions efforts, to get missions information out to the churches and to raise prayer support and money for missions.   The tour included where she first lived, her dad's shop, her home church, and her gravesite.  The group also visited the first WMU headquarters - the Maryland Baptist Mission Rooms, which served as a missionary library and reading room. Later it served as the location of the Southern Baptist Convention's missionary literature department until the work was placed with the Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) in the early 1900s.  By the way, trivia question for you - where is the WMU of the Southern Baptist Convention currently headquartered?

The website, AnnieArmstrong.com, states:

Annie believed in Christ with all her heart, but it was her hands that expressed that belief in tangible ways. She spent a great amount of time typing and handwriting letters in support of missions. Many of these letters were quite lengthy and all were filled with conviction that more could and should be done in our mission efforts. In 1893 alone, she wrote almost 18,000 letters! Annie also never hesitated to use her hands to reach out to hug a child or distribute food and clothing and the Word of God to those in need. Her hands held her own Bible as she studied to know how best to share Gods love with others. And, most important, Annie was a woman of prayer, folding her hands in prayer to intercede for the missionaries and for those they were helping discover Christ.

You can really pay attention when someone has something named after them - especially something as critical as the work of missions.  

Annie Armstrong illustrates for us first of all, a willingness to be used of the Lord.  And, we can search our own hearts to see if we have that desire to be obedient to Christ in whatever He has called us.

She was also a woman of prayer.  The work of missions is fueled by the prayers of God's people.  We do well to realize the importance of faithful and fervent intercession for God's work through our churches, in our communities, our nation, and around the world.  

Not only was Annie Armstrong willing, but she was known to follow through.   Her life models the concept of diligence.  She didn't just think about doing God's work and sharing God's Word, she did it.  She didn't just regard writing letters to support missions, she actually wrote them - by the thousands!   We may have wonderful ideas about what we can do for the Kingdom, but we have to get them from our minds and spirits into tangible expressions for His glory.

Now, on to that trivia question - where is the headquarters for the Women's Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention?   In Birmingham, Alabama - Highway 280.   WMU is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.