January 13, 2006

[Rev. Doc]

To Be Used

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."
Mark 10:45

The great violinist, Nicole Pagannini, willed his marvelous violin to Genoa, the city of his birth, only on the condition that it not be played. It is a peculiar wood in that as long as the violin is used and handled, it shows little wear. As soon as it is discarded, the wood begins to decay. The exquisite, mellow-toned violin has become worm-eaten in its beautiful case, valueless except as a relic. The moldering instrument is a reminder that life, withdrawn from all service to others, loses its meaning.

Jesus taught this in a dramatic and unforgettable way. If a life is to remain useful, it must be lived in service to others.

Prayer: Ask God to use you as He sees fit for His Kingdom.

"God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission - I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next."
~John Henry Newman