Putting Skin On the People of the Bible

307 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 2Ti 4:19-22, “Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick. 21 Do your utmost to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren. 22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. (2 Tim 4:19-22) What I like about these salutations is they put skin on the people of the Bible. These are real people involved in real ministry in the church of Jesus Christ. They are no different than those people you worship with on Sunday who have a heart for plugging in their respective gifts to the work of promulgating the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are your Sunday School teachers, your VBS volunteers, your elders, your missionaries, your groundskeepers, and of course the list could go on and on. You and everyone else knows them by name because they are involved in the work of the congregation! They all have unique stories to tell about their involvement. Prisca and Aquila led a small group Bible study in their home in Corinth. They also were the couple who helped straighten out some of the wrong ideas Apollos had about the faith. Onesiphorus, the redeemed runaway slave who diligently sought Paul out in order to minister to him while he was imprisoned in Rome. Erastus a government official involved in the work of the church, Trophimus, accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey and his Greek background created a riot in Jerusalem that resulted in the arrest of Paul! (Oh the stories these saints could tell!) The members of the underground church are also given mention namely Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren! None of these people were motivated by the fact that they would be well known in Christian circles. It just happened. None of us should be in this for personal fame, glory, or riches! We are in it by God's grace! We love and serve Him because He first loved us, if that somehow makes us memorable here on earth so be it, but how wonderful would it be to here on that Final Day, the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “Well done My good and faithful servant!” Beloved, let these words be a challenge to you today to plug your gifts into your local congregation and see where that takes you. See where that takes the mission of the church! See what stories will be told. Do all you can to follow the leading of the Spirit so you don't become a nameless face in the pew!