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Pastor’s Corner: Ryan Keltner

By Staff | Aug 10, 2010

I was reading a story about a 9-year-old boy who lived in a poor rural town in Tennessee.

There was a church that had a bus ministry and one Saturday afternoon the bus driver knocked on the boy’s door. The man was astonished to find that the parents would leave for the weekends and leave the boy to watch his little brother. The boy let the driver in the house and the driver couldn’t imagine the condition of the house.

The man came in and sat down on the couch with the springs and foam showing. The driver started to talk to the boy about church and Jesus. The boy had never been to church, but wanted to go. The driver prayed with the boy and led him to Jesus.

The next day the driver picked up the boy and his brother and took them to church. The boy walked in and sat near the front of the sanctuary. The time came for the offering and the boy watched as men came down to the front and passed the shiny plates up and down the rows. The boy wanted to put something in the plates, but his pockets were empty. As the ushers walked back toward the front, the boy wanted desperately to give God something. At the last moment, the boy got up and grabbed one of the plates from an usher. The boy set the plate on the floor, stood in it, and looked up and said, “God, I don’t have anything to give you, so I give you all of me.”

How many of us truly give God all of ourselves? We read the Bible and listen to God tell us to surrender all to Him. Why is it that people will hear that message, share that message, preach that message, but do not put that message to action. It is frustrating to see people who call themselves Christians, not allowing God to reign in their lives.

God wants to be the main focus in our lives. You can’t put other things and people before God and be upset when things don’t go as planned. I pray for each and every person to know the love of Christ, put Him first in your life and see where he takes you. Remember, it starts with priorities. Is God a priority in your life?

— Ryan Keltner is associate pastor at Cornerstone Family Worship.