Like many of you, I have been praying for those impacted by hurricane Ian. It hurts to see the destruction and devastation a storm can produce. The aftermath always makes for good television for a day or so. But then most of the rest of the country moves on.

The people in the storm’s path will be dealing with this for months and years. It doesn’t just go away. For many, the job of recovery seems insurmountable.

I know that plans are already underway for Disaster Response teams to travel to Florida and help with the clean-up. I have deployed with groups like this in the past. Volunteers go to help people turn an overwhelming task into something that is tackled one step at a time. Whether you are picking up debris, mucking out a house, or delivering meals to workers and residents, it is a way for you to share the love of God in Christ with people in their time of need. At this point, I’m not sure when or if I will be able to travel to Florida to help, but I’ll be checking into it.

You don’t need to wait for a major disaster to serve. Earlier this week I joined three other members of my congregation to help clean up the home of a widow. She lives next door to a family from our church. It involved pulling out dead bushes, trimming hedges, cutting down some trash trees growing in the hedges, and taking down an unwanted tree in the yard. It only took a couple of hours and we filled up a trailer with the debris to be hauled off. It was a task she would not have been able to do on her own. But we served Jesus by doing that for her.

Next month Cheryl and I will travel to Mexico with a group from our daughter and son-in-law’s congregation to build a home in Mexico for a needy family.

This is how I am able to serve God at this point in my life, and I cannot tell you how much joy I get from doing so. When I do these activities, God blesses me more than I can describe. I know that God has bought me back from sin and death, forgiven me for Jesus’ sake, and called me to live in response to that Good New. Doing these things is putting my faith in Jesus into action. It is how I say “thank you” to God for saving me.

1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

Matthew 25:40 …whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

This is part of how I’m serving Jesus right now. How will you serve Him today?