Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotion

I received this by email from a co-worker today, and I thought it was something to think about. I really feel for this man, and I truly hope he knows the Lord. What an awesome God!

March 17, 2005

Chapter33: How Real Servants Actby John Fischer
We have been rescued from our enemies, so we can serve God without fear. (Luke 1:74)

Now if this life were all about us, we would be rescued so that we could live for ourselves. But it’s not about us; it’s all about Him, so that being rescued means we are now in a position to be put into service on Christ’s behalf. God got a hold of us, not to fulfill our own dreams, but to use us to fulfill His plans and purposes. The people God puts into your life today have been put there for you to serve. This goes for those we know well right down to strangers He throws into our path.
“What does this person need? Why did God put them in my life? How can I serve them and help them realize their purpose?”
That’s what Ashley Smith was thinking about, when, bound in her Atlanta apartment by a fugitive killer on a rampage, she faced the real possibility of being Brian Nichols’ fifth victim in less than 24 hours. It’s remarkable that she had the presence of mind and Spirit to think about serving her captor instead of fearing him, but that’s exactly what she did. She helped him face how he was hurting people, how it was not too late to turn his life around, come clean, and though he would obviously end up in prison, he could find a purpose there bringing the word of God to other inmates. When he let Ashley go to rejoin her daughter, Brian Nichols knew she would call the police. He even asked her to come visit him in prison, and did not resist arrest when the police arrived. A remarkable change had taken place in this man in just a few short hours in one of the most amazing encounters in human history. With sadness and respect to the families and loved ones of those who lost thei r lives in this tragic episode, it may yet have a better ending due to one Christian single mom who was looking for a purpose in the midst of a tragedy.
Is it any wonder that Chapter 33 of The Purpose Driven Life was the chapter she read to Brian Nichols in her apartment? Chapter 33 is titled: “How Real Servants Act.” This wasn’t something she thought would be appropriate; it was simply where she was in her own pilgrimage. It was her next chapter and she shared it with him. She took from what she was receiving, and shared it with the other person in the room. It didn’t matter than he had a gun or that he had bound her with tape. He needed it as much as she did. I think I know how real servants act; they act like Ashley Smith.
Lord, make us ready to serve you today, whatever comes our way.